Now and Then
by Aspect of the Rainbow
Summary: Regina's life changes forever when she crosses paths with mischievous young blonde. My first fanfic attempt and I don't own any of the OUaT characters. Slightly OOC AU. Swan Queen.
1. Chapter 1

This was her very last chance to back out. She stood at the beginning of the walkway leading to the two story concrete building. Taking a deep breath, she tried to remember why she was doing this. She had just finished her junior year at Storybrooke High a week ago and she spent the entire week dreading this moment. She didn't need to be here. Her college applications were pristine just the way they were. She was a straight A student and shoe in for class Valedictorian. She was class president for the past three years and was the captain of the debate team, the Historical Society, and the schools Dance Squad. She didn't need this and she sure as hell didn't have time for it.

Three months ago her mother had summoned her (yes... summoned) to her home office and lectured her on the importance of extracurricular activities outside of school. Even after politely reminding her mother of everything she already had on her plate, she wouldn't budge on the matter. After about an hour of putting her debate skills to good use they reached an agreement. She would be given the privilege of choosing the college she would attend (but not apply to) if she agreed to volunteer at the Storybrooke Childrens Shelter. Two weeks later her mother was in a car accident on her way home from a business trip. After another week of being it a coma, she was gone.

So here she stood, determined to hold up her end of the bargain. Her best friend Daniel was the first person to remind her that she didn't have to go through with it. Her mother was a mean and spiteful woman who never thought anything she did was good enough. She hated Daniel. She didn't care that he had the schools second highest GPA (after herself of course) and she didn't care that he was the best friend Regina could have ever asked for. All her mother cared about was the fact that he came from a less than wealthy family that tended to the towns stables. Status was everything to Cora and the local stable boy definitely wasn't worth her daughters time. But Daniel wasn't the only person in town to feel her mothers wrath. If you asked about 80% of the town population, Cora Mills was a down right Bitch with a capital B.

But she was still Regina's mother. So here Regina stood determined to complete the last request her mother asked of her. Well more like demanded, but whatever, she was here and after this last request was met her life would finally be her own. With one last deep breath she took that first step down the walkway and towards the old wooden doors. As soon has she had one foot in the door she a greeted with chaos. Somewhere down the hall to the left was a small child crying at the top of their lungs. She stumbled backwards slightly, as a group of 3 young girls ran by her screaming closely followed by a young boy holding out what she thinks was a frog. Shaking the look of disgust off her face, she was assaulted with one of the most annoying voices she had ever heard. She knew that voice anywhere.

"Emma, get down from there right now!" A petite girl with short brunette hair went jogging across the hallway to the right when she spotted Regina and abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Regina, hi! What are you doing here?" she asked with her usual overly cheerful demeanor.

"Volunteering..." Regina gave a slight shrug and a fake smile for good measure. "I called last week and spoke to..." Regina paused trying to remember exactly who she spoke to.

"Granny." Mary Margaret spoke up. She continued when she noticed the confused expression on Regina's face. "Mrs. Lucas. Everyone around here calls her Granny."

"Right, Mrs. Lucas. Do you know where I can find her?" Regina was ready to get away from Mary Margaret. She really didn't need this.

"Well its close to lunch time, so shes probably in the kitchen. I take you there." and with a huge smile Mary Margaret began to lead the way.

"Great." Regina whispered to herself with false excitement.

As Regina was lead to the kitchen Mary Margaret pointed out some of the different areas of the shelter. The game room, the backyard/playground, and the main office. There were two dorm halls and a small nursery on the first floor and four dorm halls on the second. She couldn't imagine how such a small town could ever need this much room for orphaned children. It caused a slight pang of guilt when she thought about how much she loathed her mother when there was a building full of children who didn't even have one. She quickly shook off the feeling and focused on the task at hand as they entered the cafeteria.

"Some of the older kids like to have study groups in here between meals. Granny will make them snacks and keep out younger kids to really let them focus. These are our summer school kids. The groups are much bigger during the school year." Mary Margaret had been talking almost non-stop the entire way, but Regina had only paid attention about half the time.

She recognized some of the kids from school. One of the girls, Ashley, was on the dance squad. She wondered why she would need to attend summer school. You had to have a 3.0 GPA to even be on the squad. Really you go as low as a 2.5 GPA before being kicked from school teams, but Regina required a little more from her teams to give them some leeway during competition times. Mary Margaret began to open two large metal doors when she began to speak again.

"The kitchens are through here. Granny is the one in the hairnet wiping the counters in the back." She point in the direction mentioned. "I need to get back to Emma. Last thing I need is her breaking another bone on my watch. I'll see you around!" She called as she headed back through the double doors.

Regina began to walk into the direction of the older woman, ready to get this started so it could be over.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Lucas. I'm..." Regina was quickly cut off.

"Call me Granny child. Mrs. Lucas was a long time ago." Granny finally looked up from the counter to see who addressed her. "You're not one of my girls." She stated curiously when recognition didn't hit her.

"No. I'm Regina. Regina Mills. I spoke to you last week about volunteering here for the summer." She stared at the older woman, not really sure what to expect.

"Ah, yes. Regina Mills. Daughter of the late Cora Mills. I'm sorry for your lose. That woman was a thorn in my side, but no child deserves to lose a parent like that. How is your father doing?" Granny inquired. Regina could see that this was a woman who didn't sugar coat the truth. She could respect that.

"Thank you. My father is well." Regina kept her reply short. She didn't really wish to discuss the matter. She had helped her father through his mourning phase, becoming even more responsible than she thought was possible. She tended to the house and the meals when she could. She had dinner delivered to the house on the nights she had a late practice just to make sure her father would eat. She didn't quite understand how he could be so broken over a woman who treated him so badly. Regina herself, had yet to shed a tear over her mothers passing. She wasn't a heartless girl and she loved her mother despite her less than pleasant disposition. She honestly doesn't know why she never cried. She was pulled from her thoughts when Granny began to speak again.

"Henry has always been a sweet man. Got me a job and a place to stay here when my granddaughter and I first moved to town. Been here ever since. Ruby loves it here with the children. Henry always came down to check on things and make sure everyone was doing OK. Hes one of the few reasons this place is still up and running." Granny stated as a reason for her inquiry about Regina's father.

"I never knew..." Regina started in awe of just how much love her father had in him. He was always wonderful to her.

"Course not child. You were nothing but a toddler when we got here. Cute as ever." Regina couldn't help the smile that formed at the compliment. "Anyhow, I won't keep you long. If you head to the office you will see the list of available hours to volunteer. Just sign up for whatever works best. I wont throw you straight into the lions den so don't worry. As sweet as these kids are, some can be a real handful. Most volunteers like to start in the nursery. Babies are easy. All they do is eat, shit, and sleep." Granny paused briefly to smile at the look of disgust on Regina's face. "But if that's not your cup of tea I'm sure we can find something to get you started. Now get. I got some lunch to fix and I'm sure you got some teenage things to get to. Granny finished with a annoyed look that was accompanied by a slight tug a the corners of her lips.

On her way out of the shelter, Regina stopped by the office. She decided to come in from 1 to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This way she could do what she needed and spend some time with Daniel before coming in and be home in time to make a suitable dinner for her father. She ran into Ashley at the front door and stopped for a few minutes of idle chit chat. She noticed the girl seemed a bit more nervous around her than usual, but she shook it off as embarrassment of Regina seeing her in her home environment. What Regina didn't notice, as she politely said her goodbyes to Ashley, was the head of golden blonde waves peaking out from office doorway and the set of green eyes watching her.


	2. Blond Hair and Green Eyes

"Snow! Snow, come here!" the young girl whispered excitedly.

Mary Margaret walked up behind the girl peaking out of the doorway.

"What is it Emma?"

"Who is that?" Emma asks. Her eyes never once leaving the brunette in question.

"Oh, that's Regina Mills. She's going to be volunteering here three days a week." Mary Margaret replied. She had joined Emma in her little spying mission and was now eyeing the interaction between Regina and Ashley as well.

"Do you know her?" was Emma's next question. Mary Margaret had the feeling there would be many more to follow.

"Kind of. She goes to school with me, but we aren't exactly apart of the same crowd." Mary Margaret replied and returned to her seat at at small table in the office.

"Is she one of the popular girls? Not to say that you aren't popular Snow. She looks like she would be one of the popular girls and rich too. I'll bet she's pretty wealthy..." Emma paused briefly, lost in her thoughts as she watched Regina exit the building. Emma then returned to her seat next to Mary Margaret.

"How does she know Ashley?" Emma faced Mary Margaret with wide eyes. Clearly intrigued by this newcomer. Mary Margaret smiled and rolled her eyes playfully. She new Emma well. She had taken a liking to the mischievous young blonde the day she showed up in Storybrooke. Emma had been transferred here from Portland, Maine. Before that, she had been to homes in Boston, New York, and Manchester. At the ripe age of 11, Emma had already seen more of the world than most of Storybrookes inhabitants. When she had landed herself back in the Portland shelter, one of the Directors thought that maybe Emma could use a change of pace. So they sent her to this quaint little town.

Emma had only been here for 2 years, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere else. One of the great things about living here was that Granny tried to make every child feel important. Mary Margaret could remember Emma's first night here. Mary Margaret had just turned 16 and could finally officially volunteer at the shelter. She had been working an evening shift when Emma arrived with the Social Worker. After a brief introduction, Granny turned her back for a moment and Emma was gone. The staff had spent a little over an hour looking for the scared 9 year old girl. It just so happens that Mary Margaret was the one to find her.

_She walking down the hall of the 2__rd__ floor C dorms when she heard a faint sniffle. As she approached the utility closet, she took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. She was greeted with a pair of sad blue eyes and instantly her heart sank at the sight. She decided to join the small child on common ground and got down on her knees and crawled into the closet, closing the door behind her. She grabbed a flashlight from the shelf behind her and turned it on to give them a little light._

"_Hi." Mary Margaret spoke softly._

_The child didn't answer._

"_Are you Emma?"_

_The child gave a small nod._

"_Do you have a last name Emma?"_

_Emma shook her head no. Mary Margaret smiled._

"_Well, Emma with no last name, I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard."_

_Emma said nothing._

"_Would you like to come out of the closet and meet Granny?"_

_Emma gave another shake of her head._

"_OK. Well, since we are going to be here for a while, how about I tell you on of my favorite stories."_

_Emma nodded. _

_Mary Margaret began to tell Emma the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Emma listened quietly, never interrupting. Once the story was complete, Mary Margaret waited patiently to see if Emma would respond. After awhile Mary Margaret spoke._

"_Did you enjoy the story?" she asked._

_Emma gave another small nod._

"_Good, I'm glad. My father used to tell me that story nearly every night."_

"_You could be her, you know." Emma finally spoke._

"_Who?" Mary Margaret asked. She was simply thrilled that Emma had finally spoken to her. She wanted to keep the interaction going._

"_Snow White."_

Mary Margaret had never even considered the physical similarities between herself and the fictional character before Emma pointed them out. Ever since that day Emma called her snow and it slowly became her nickname among the children at the shelter. Even Granny often referred to her as Snow and Mary Margaret didn't mind one bit. Snow smiled to herself at the memory of that night. Emma had taken to Snow like a sister after that. She even thought about fostering Emma after she graduated, but she kept that idea to herself in case things didn't quite work out.

"Yes, Regina is one of the more popular girls at school. She is very smart too. Leads the debate club, the historical club and the dance squad. That's how she knows Ashley. She has also been class president for 3 years in a row and, given that Henry Mills is her father, I would imagine she is pretty wealthy." Snow listed Regina's attributes with a slight hint of envy or perhaps annoyance.

"Henry Mills... You mean Cora Mills gave birth to that?! Wait, she dances...?" Emma quickly changed her course of questioning when that piece of information finally registered in her head.

"Yep." Snow replied with a giggle. "I think she studied ballet and contemporary. The school squad kind of mixes that with Hip Hop. Why are you so interested in her?" Snow finally asked the question she had been pondering for the last ten minutes.

"Um... I don't know. Shes just... really pretty... I guess." Emma began to blush lightly. She quickly flipped the questioning back to Snow. "How do you know so much about her if you two aren't really friends?"

"She's Regina Mills. Everyone knows those things about her. Besides, she and I were both born and raised here. Our fathers have been taking care of this town for years. I think our ancestors founded it or something." Snow shrugged and went back to the list she had been making.

"Now Emma, all the kids here at the shelter will of course be attending your birthday party. Is there anyone else you would like me to invite?" Emma was coming up on her 12th birthday and it was Snow's favorite party to plan. Normally the shelter would do one party a month to celebrate all the children born that month. But, oddly, Emma was the only child here to have a birthday in June. This meant she got the whole celebration to herself.

"Will you invite Regina? Please?" Emma replied excitedly.

"Sure Em, of course I will." Snow simply smiled and added Regina Mills to her list.


	3. A Linebacker in Chucks

Regina showed up for her first shift 15 minutes early. She had just finished having lunch at the house with her father and Daniel. It was nice to be able to enjoy a meal with her two favorite men. Daniel was definitely enjoying this new routine of theirs. He simply loved Regina's cooking. When she entered the shelter, she notice the staff seemed to be a bit frantic. She was already regretting the decision not to bring a bottle of aspirin with her when Snow approached her.

"Oh Regina, thank goodness you're here. We could really use an extra pair of eyes."

"Why, what is going on?" Regina couldn't help but be curious about all the fuss.

"Emma took off again. I swear that girl is going to give me a heart attack before I have a chance to turn 18. Red and Blue took the younger kids on a field trip to the stables. They were grooming the horses when they realized Emma was gone. Granny and I need to head out there to help find her. Can you please stay her with the older kids? Katherine and David should be here in about 20 minutes to help..." Snow was nearly out of breath from rambling so fast when Granny interrupted her.

"Only 20 minutes Regina. Let's go Snow!" and with that Granny was out the door.

"Thank you so much, Regina! We will be back as soon as we find her!" and with that, Mary Margaret (Snow?) was out the door... What the hell just happened?

"Shit!" Regina huffed to herself, still trying to work though everything Mary Margaret just said. She stood there for a moment wondering who the fuck Red and Blue were and if all the other colors of the rainbow worked here too. Though she had to admit the name Snow sounded a lot less hideous than Mary Margaret. She shook herself from her thoughts and glanced at her watch. She guessed the office was as good a place as any to wait out the remaining 19 minutes. She managed to take one step in the direction of said office, when she was brutally tackled to the ground. At least that is the way she saw it.

Umph. Regina hit the ground hard and the only warning she saw was flash of blonde hair.

"Oh my god... I am sor... You!" Emma exclaimed when she realized just who she had ran into.

"You?! You come through here, like a bat out of hell, and bulldose me to the ground and all you can say is... YOU?! Insufferable little brat." Regina was not expecting her first day to be out of control like this.

"Geez Gina, do you always talk to little kids like that?" Emma simply crossed her arms and raised a brow at the startled older girl.

Regina scoffed and finally looked up the see the offending party. The girl in front of her stood there with nothing but confidence, despite the fact that she was dressed in a old dirty pair of white Chucks, cut off jean shorts, a white tank top with a tear at the bottom, and a red and black flannel shirt that was way too big for her. Confidence was a good quality to have when life has dealt you a shitty hand of cards. However, that was beside the point.

"First off, don't call me Gina. How do you even know who I am anyway? Second, when the child carelessly tackles me like a linebacker and ruins my skirt, I will speak to them however I like. And third, why are you even here? I thought all the younger kids went on some field trip." Now Regina was standing with her arms crossed staring down Emma with a scowl that could probably rival that of the evil queen from Snow's story.

"Well I am pretty good with nicknames and I think Gina suits you. And please, your skirt is hardly ruined." Emma paused for dramatic effect, daring Regina to disagree with her. "And I didn't want to go to the stables. I don't like horses."

Regina took a moment to consider the child in front of her. Given her lineage and overall persona, she has never had to deal with her peers standing up to her. Let alone a what, a 10 year child? She was sharp. Regina began to wonder what this girl has been through to make her so tough at this age. The girl was endearing, annoying but endearing none the less. Regina wanted to get through this volunteering hell without a hitch, so for the time being she decided to humor the girl.

"How can you not like horses?" she inquired.

"You do?" Emma countered.

"Actually, I love horses. I think they are some of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen." Regina surprised even herself with the honesty in her answer. Who the hell is this little girl? She took notice to how the girl considered her next next response.

"Well, a horse definitely is not the most beautiful creature I have ever seen." Emma replied smoothly despite the flutter in her stomach and the light blush of her cheeks.

Regina stalled for a moment, mouth slightly agape. She was definitely caught off guard with that... did she just imply... no she couldn't have. Regina quickly recovered.

"So you know who I am. Who are you?"

"I'm nobody." Regina saw the hint in of sadness in the girls eyes. "Just an adorable brat." Emma finished with a smirk.

"I said insufferable, not adorable." Regina raised a brow at the girls smugness.

"Yea, but I think you meant adorable." Emma smiled.

"Hey. What time ya got?" Emma asked. Regina checked her watch.

"1:03, why do you ask?" Regina inquired.

"Shit... 2 minutes." Emma mumbled to herself. She look around Regina's shoulder toward the door, then brought her attention back to the confused brunette. Katherine and David would be arriving soon and she was sure they were already clued in the her latest stunt. She hadn't planned on hiding out long, but she didn't want her time with Regina to end just yet.

"Come with me." She said as turned and headed for the stairs.

"And where exactly would we be going?" Regina hadn't budged from her spot.

"What? You don't trust me?" Emma asked with a mischievous smile.

"Give me one reason I should." Regina countered.

"Um, duh... I'm adorable remember. How could not trust this face?" Emma finished with her award winning smile. Regina hesitated a moment longer before finally taking a step in the direction of the blonde. She was just humoring the girl. She didn't really have any interest on where she was leading her. Regina climbed the stairs one at a time. She watched Emma walk up backwards, staring at her with the goofiest grin on her face. She looked like she was dying to say something.

"What?" Regina huffed out half curious and half annoyed.

"You just admitted I'm adorable." Emma couldn't help but continue smile as Regina released a sound that was like a scoffed and laugh combined.

Regina couldn't quite understand why this little girl made her feel so comfortable. She didn't like children. Correction... she hated children. And by children, she meant anyone below the age of 16 and most boys up to her age. She supposed she could attribute that to her mother raising her to be much more mature than then other children her age. In a way she didn't mind that fact. It brought her to where she is today and would surely help her attain her goals for her future. But another part of her hated it. She missed out on plenty when she spent all those hours studying and keeping up with her extracurricular activities as well as her mother cases. Her mother was a very prominent Lawyer and she would be lying if she said watching her cases hadn't considerably helped her debate skills. But her mother raised her to be a rock. A hard ass from the inside out, who never let anyone stand in her way. So why way this young and unruly girl making her feel soft inside? That couldn't be a good thing... She took a deep breath and allowed an air of nonchalance to wash over her before speaking again.

"Just, turn around and watch where you are going." Regina rolled her eyes and continued to follow the girl.

"Yes ma'am" Emma gave a small curtsy, with a smirk on her face, before turning and leading Regina to her dorm room.


	4. Mission Success

Emma's room was 4C on the second floor. Regina followed her in and noticed how simple the room was. It lacked anything that could tell you about the girl. The only thing that stood out was a crocheted baby blanket with a name on it. Regina walked over to the bed and picked it up, causing Emma to pause what she was doing. She watched Regina and saw the exact moment realization hit her. Regina turned to find the girl watching her.

"You are Emma." It wasn't a question.

"The one and only." Emma replied cheekily.

"You do realize that you have every staff member here frantically looking for you?" Regina sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Eh, they're use to it. Besides, the only one that really freaks out is Snow. I give them about another 20 minutes before she comes flying into my room, nearly hugs the life out of me, and carries on about how she is so happy to know that I'm OK." Emma informed her, like it was no big deal, and finished searching through the top drawer of her desk.

"You really are a piece of work aren't you?" Regina shook her head lightly as she watched Emma approach the bed with a colorful book in one hand and a green glitter gel pen in the other.

"What can I say? You learn to love me." Emma flopped down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.

"What is that?" Regina nodded in the direction of Emma's book.

"It's called a Friendship book. It has these questions that you can answer about your best-friends so that you always remember things about them. I'm never really in a place long enough to have a best-friend, so I like to use it on people I really want to remember in case I'm sent off to another home or something. I was hoping you would let me fill one out on you..." Emma finished shyly.

Regina couldn't believe it, but she actually did find Emma quite adorable. She was also very flattered to know that Emma wanted to remember her after only just meeting each other. It didn't take long for Regina to put it all together. She knew a crush when saw one. She thought it was cute and innocent and didn't see much of a problem with it. Part of her insisted that she should put some space between the two of them to ensure Emma didn't mistake her kindness for more than it was. Then there was the other part of her that just wanted to see Emma smile. What the hell was that about? Either way she saw nothing wrong with being the young girl's friend.

"Sure, why not?" Regina replied. She turned a little more to the left to position herself better on the bed as Emma asked the first question.

"OK. What's your full name?"

It didn't take long for Regina to answer all of Emma's questions. They were pretty simple and what Regina expected them to be. She gave her name, her age, favorite color and so forth. The entire process probably could have been faster, but every answer Regina gave seem to cause Emma to want to know even more about her. Regina had given up questioning her comfort around Emma long ago. After the little questionnaire, the two continued to talk. Regina asked some of the questions she herself had answered. Then they each shared a few stories about their lives. It was unnerving how well the two of them got along. Regina really enjoyed hearing about some of the ways Emma had gotten herself into trouble. Apparently she was going easy on this shelter because she actually liked it here.

They had seemed to lose track of time during their exchange and were brought back to reality by a light knock on the door. Regina stood up immediately realizing that she had more than passed the line of appropriateness. Emma, on the other hand was more relaxed as she glanced at her clock then headed to the door. She opened the door to see Snow with a soft scowl on her face. Emma shrugged with a sheepish look.

"I honestly didn't think it would take you guys this long. I think you're losing your touch Snow." Emma said with a smile as she was engulfed in a tight hug.

"You really need to stop scaring me like that Emma. If you keep this up Granny just might cancel your birthday party. Do you think you can maybe settle down for the next couple of weeks?" Snow implored.

"I promise I will... if Gina promises to come to my party." Emma turned to Regina and tried not to show how nervous she actually was.

"Gina?" Snow looked to Regina knowingly. That nickname had to come from Emma. Regina rolled her eyes annoyed with the newcomer. Then she looked to Snow with a face that no one would dare mess with.

"Do not ever call me that." Snow held up hands in mock surrender and Emma's stomach flipped at the idea of giving Regina a nickname that only she was allowed to use. Then Regina addressed Emma.

"I would not miss it Emma." Regina promised her with a small smile. Snow watched the exchange and couldn't help but be curious about how they were able to crack each other's walls so easily.

"Regina, Granny wanted me to send you to her office to discuss where you will be working today." Snow hated to interrupt whatever moment they were having. She felt like the two could have a good effect on each other. In fact, neither of the girls knew that this was not the first trip Snow had made to Emma's dorm room. She had actually arrived right when Emma thought she would. However, she had stop dead in her tracks when heard the two speaking so animatedly on the other side of the door. She had never heard Emma open up to anyone like that, not even her. As far as Regina goes, Snow couldn't even believe it was her. Any newcomer to the situation would have thought they were old friends. Snow had decided it wouldn't hurt to give them a little more time to be themselves.

"Right." Regina suddenly remember she was here for a reason. "I'll see you around, Emma."

"See ya!" Emma called out as she watched Regina leave the room. When Emma turned around, Snow was staring at her with an inquiring look. "What?"

"Looks like someone achieved their goal today." Snow took a seat at Emma's desk.

"Why I'm afraid I don't know what you are referring to." Emma replied with a false sense of innocence. She knew Snow had put the pieces together. She really did know Emma well.

"Mmm. So you're ditching the stables around the exact time that Regina started her shift today was just a coincidence?" Snow quirked a brow.

"Well it could have been!" Emma exclaimed.

"Uh huh."

"I just couldn't help it Snow. She's just so... pretty. I had to know more about her. Then the more I found out, the more I wanted to know. She is like, the most amazing person I have ever met. I mean, you're amazing too Snow. It's just so different with her and ..."

"Em!" Snow had to stop the rambling before the young girl lost her breath. "It's OK, Em. I know what it's like to be so enamored with someone, that you just want to be around them." Snow reassured her.

"Are you talking about David?" Emma had noticed the brief sadness in Snow's eyes. Snow gave a small smile.

"We aren't talking about me, Em. Just promise me you'll be careful. Regina is almost 18 and with our senior year approaching, she is going to have a lot on her plate. Then there's college..." Snow paused to give Emma a chance to catch on to the warning.

"I get it, Snow. I'm just a kid with a silly crush. I know." Emma really understood a lot for her age. She knew this infatuation of hers would likely end in pain, but she couldn't bring herself to care.


	5. This Woman's Work - Maxwell

The following week just flew by for Regina. For Emma, any day away from Regina seemed to just drag on forever. Regina did find herself thinking about Emma throughout her day, but she was far too busy to think too much on the matter. On the days that Regina was at the shelter, the two were almost inseparable. Well, more like it was close to impossible to keep Emma away from Regina and Regina didn't seem to mind in the slightest. She enjoyed the younger girl's company. Emma was goofy, charming, extremely smart, and didn't always play by the rules. It was refreshing for her. Emma always managed to make things seem OK, even if only for a few hours of a few days in the week.

Everyone could see the change in both Emma and Regina. Regina always managed to keep Emma in line when the time called for it. They had even called Regina in on Saturday, when Emma had refused to come down from the playground tree house. Regina came by as quickly as she could and after a very convincing explanation of why she refused to climb a rope ladder in a skirt, Emma descended down the tree with no other argument. As for the change in Regina... she smiled. Not her normal fake smile that she had perfected over the years. Aside from Daniel, Emma was the only one to pull a real genuine smile from Regina. However, Snow did have her doubts about this friendship the two had formed. She worried about Emma, but she wanted to trust her and she wanted to trust that Regina wouldn't hurt her.

But for now, things were good or so they seemed. Emma had brought her antics down to a minimum and had been happily anticipating her upcoming birthday. Regina, on the other hand was spiraling and, as usual, nobody knew what was going on inside of her. Her emotions were out of control and she couldn't think straight. After an intense fight with Daniel on Thursday night, she had stayed in the house and spent the day with her father. While he watched TV, Regina had curled into his side like she did when she was younger and he wrapped his arms around her and let her be. He knew that no words needed to be said. That his daughter just needed to be held by her father.

When Regina woke late Saturday morning, she needed to get out. She needed to lose herself and disappear, even if just for a moment. Instantly, Regina knew exactly how she could do that. So she got up and got dressed and was out the door. Emma had been in the library across the street when she saw Regina unlock the dance studio. At first she smiled at the sight, but immediately frowned when she saw the sorrow in the older girl's features. She took a quick glance around the library to see if Snow was still preoccupied with David. Once the coast was clear, she sneaked out and headed across the street to find Regina.

Emma found Regina in one of the smaller rooms of the studio. She peeked quietly into the room, unsure if she should interrupt. Regina had removed her shoes and stood in front of the mirror and stretched. Emma took in her black leggings and loose fitting white crop top and her heart stopped. She was going to get to see Regina dance. She watched intently as Regina walked to the far end of the room and placed a CD into the stereo and pressed "play". She then walked back to the middle of the room and just stood there with her eyes closed. Emma could see her chest rise from the deep breaths she was taking. What was going on with her?

As Regina stood in the middle of the room breathing deeply, her mind flashed back to Thursday night. She had decided to take some left over dinner to Daniel and hoped to hang out for a bit since she had barely seen him all week. She didn't know what to expect when he answered the door, but she wasn't expecting things to happen the way they did.

"_Regina? What are you doing here?"_

"_Is that how you greet me now?" she quirk a brow and continued. "Why yes, Daniel, I would love to come in" she finished with a playful roll of her eyes._

_Daniel sighed and took Regina by the hand, gently pulling her into the house and closing the door behind her. He led her up the stairs to his room and again closed the door. Regina walked into the room and sat the container of food on his desk before turning to him and waiting. When he continued to say nothing, she spoke._

"_Daniel what is going on?"_

"_You weren't supposed to come here" he replied quietly._

"_Since when am I not allowed to be here? I've barely seen you all week! Were you avoiding me?" She was a mixture of confusion, worry, and pissed the fuck off._

"_I thought we could use some time apart."_

"_And you did not think it was important to talk to me about this first? We are fine, Daniel! Why the hell would we need time apart? We have not had time apart since you went to that stupid boy's camp in 7__th__ grade!" Now she was just pissed. She had always felt like Daniel was the only friend she could truly trust. Now all she was feeling was betrayal._

"_Regina, it's for the best. Please jus..."_

"_WHY WERE YOU AVOIDING ME?!" All she wanted right now was a reason._

"_Because I'm in love with you!"_

_Regina's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know what to say, so she stood there with her lips slightly parted, trying to process what he had just said. She didn't know what to expect when he answered the door, but she wasn't expecting this..._

As the beginning of Maxwell's _This Woman's Work_ began to play, Regina gave one last stretch of her neck and began to move. Emma felt like she was under a spell. She couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful brunette as she glided and twirled around the room with such grace. Emma had never been that into dance, but as Regina moved, it was like she really felt the words of the song. Emma felt them too. As she watched Regina dance, she felt the sorrow, the pain, the love. She felt everything.

As the lyrics to the song began to play, Regina's mind went back to that night...

"_What?" was all she could manage._

"_I'm in love with you... and I know you don't feel the same way..."_

"_You never..." she was cut off._

"_I didn't have to. I have seen the change in you, Ree. I've seen the way your face lights up when you talk about her."_

"_Her who?" Regina mind was reeling with this entire turn of events. She felt like she was going to pass out._

"_Emma."_

"_Emma?! She is a 12 year old girl, Daniel! She's like a little sister to me! How could you possibly think...?"_

"_You don't see it, Ree! You don't see what I see from the outside looking in. I know you, Regina. You don't let anybody in and within five minutes, this one girl was knocking down all your walls. You don't even realize how close to your heart this girl actually is."_

And Regina danced, never once opening her eyes. She just let the music carry her as her mind continued to replay that night...

"_You are wrong, Daniel." she began to move toward him. "You are wrong..." She was now mere inches away from him. She took his face into her hands, lightly stroking his cheeks with her thumbs, and looked him in the eyes._

"_I have not changed... I am still me..." She kissed him on his cheek. "I am still me..." Then she kissed him softly on his lips._

The song continued to play and she continued to dance. And she remembered everything about that night. Their night together. She remembered how a simple kiss became so much more. How he grabbed her thighs and carried her to the bed, lying her down like she was the most delicate thing in the world. How it felt when he trailed his fingers down the valley of her breasts and when he gently gripped her hips and entered her for the first time. She remembered the love she saw in his eyes. He was so gentle and so loving with her. He was perfect. She couldn't think of any words to describe her first time, other than beautiful. So why did it hurt so badly?

_She lay there in his arms bare and exposed. She couldn't move and her brain was on overdrive. She didn't know what to say or do about anything. She felt Daniel stroke his fingers through her hair and place a soft kiss on the top of her head._

"_I love you, Regina."_

"_I'm sorry." Her response was so low he barely heard her._

"_Ree, what's wrong?" He had sat up to look at her and saw the single tear fall down her cheek._

"_I am so sorry, Daniel. We should not have done this. I have to go." She was already up and slipping on his pair of sweats and t-shirt he had been wearing when she arrived. She grabbed her clothes and headed for the door._

"_Regina, wait!" but she was already gone._

**Just make it go away...**

As Regina came to a stop, she stood in almost the exact same spot in which she began. Again, her eyes were closed and her breaths were deep. But, this time, Emma noticed the addition of tears in Regina's eyes. Emma continued to watch her, still not quite able to move. Then Regina opened her eyes and she immediately noticed Emma staring right back at her in the mirror. When she saw the tears in Emma's eyes, she broke. Regina fell to her knees sobbing. As soon as she hit the ground, Emma was right there with her arms wrapped around her.


	6. Something Perfect

Emma wasn't sure how long she had held Regina before the tears slowly came to a stop. She didn't care either. Now she was sitting against the mirrored wall with her legs straight and ankles crossed. Regina lay on her side with her head resting on Emma's lap, while Emma stroked her hair.

"So beautiful." The words were out of the younger girl's mouth before she even realized she was thinking them. Regina turned her head back slightly to look up at Emma, but she didn't speak.

"Um... your dance... it was beautiful." Emma recovered. Regina stared at her a moment longer before turning her head back.

"Thank you" she whispered. There was a moment of silence before Regina spoke again. "You are good at this... comforting" she clarified.

"I've had some practice." Emma was the only child to continue getting passed over for adoption. The older she got, the more she began to comfort the smaller girls going through the same thing. "What's wrong, Gina?

Regina took a deep breath and debated with herself on whether she should even confide in Emma. It wasn't because she didn't trust the girl. It was because Emma was young and already losing her innocence to the life she was given. They were raised completely different, but both seemed a bit wiser beyond their years. She didn't want to aid in taking even more of Emma's childhood away, but she couldn't think of anyone else she would rather talk to.

"Daniel told me he is in love with me." Emma felt a bit of pain in her chest at Regina's confession. "I went to his home the other night, because I had barely seen him all week. He said he is in love with me."

"Oh. Well... I mean... That's a good thing... Right?" Emma didn't really know how to feel or what to say in this moment.

"No." Regina replied quietly. Emma didn't speak, wanting to give Regina time to sort through her thoughts. "I love Daniel. I really do. We have been best-friends since we were 8 years old. Ten years of being there for each other through everything. He was the one thing in my life that my mother had no control over. I love him, but not the way he loves me. I thought it could be enough, but I have ruined everything." Regina went quiet, not feeling the need to explain any further. Emma continued to stroke her hair and was lost in her thoughts. Then she took a deep breath before asking her next question.

"Did you sleep with him?" With this, Regina snapped her head back to Emma with a mix of surprise and worry in eyes. Emma returned the stare with no hint of emotion on her face. When a single tear traveled down Regina's cheek, she turned her head from Emma once again, taking another steadying breath. Emma had her answer.

"You are barely a teenager, Em. You should not even know of such things" was Regina's only reply. Emma scoffed.

"Please. I may be 6 years younger than you, Gina, but I am not naive. I know where babies come from. Plus my last foster home had Cinemax." Emma shrugged. Despite herself, Regina couldn't help the small laugh that escaped upon hearing Emma's last remark. There was another pause of silence between the two.

"Do you regret it?" Emma asked shyly.

"Yes... and no." Regina paused trying to gather her thoughts. "If there were ever a perfect time, a perfect place, and a perfect guy to have your first experience with... That was it. It was perfect, but it was wrong of us to take advantage of that moment." Regina shook her head. "Just like it is wrong for me to be having this conversation with you."

"Why?" Emma knew the answer already.

"Because you are..."

"Because I'm 12." Emma finished for her. "But I'm not..."

"Naive." It was Regina's turn to complete the sentence.

Emma was again lost in her thoughts, when her hand stopped its movement in Regina's hair. She moved the same hand to Regina's cheek and gently turned her head towards her. She looked at Regina's face and ran her thumb down the track left from her single tear. She gave a small smile and without even contemplating her actions, she leaned down and kissed Regina's lips. Regina's breath hitched, but she didn't turn away. Instead she replied by gently kissing Emma back. The kiss was little more than a peck. It was soft, sweet and caring. The kiss didn't last long before Emma lifted back up with a small smile still on her face.

"What was that for?" Regina asked. Emma ducked her head with a slight blush.

"It's just... I don't know what love is like. I have never had a family and it's hard to let people in when I don't know how long they will be around. Often I find myself wondering if I'll ever get to experience real love, from a family or anyone else. If I even deserve it when I'm just some troublesome orphan that nobody wants. But, I know what's it's like to just want something to be perfect." Emma gave a small laugh. "And hey, what girl doesn't want their first time to be perfect? But even if I never have a perfect anything in my future, I'll know that I had the perfect first kiss." Emma's blush increased as she awaited Regina's response.

"Are you sure you are 12?" Regina was simply amazed by the maturity present in the blonde above her.

"Well technically not for another six days. But, then again, I was found on the side of the road so really no one knows my exact birthday." Emma replied with a goofy smile.

Regina simply shook her head at Emma's silliness. She sat up and re-positioned herself, sitting Indian style directly in front on the younger girl. She took both of Emma's hands into her own.

"I want you to listen to me, Em. Do not ever think that you do not deserve love or happiness. You do not deserve the life you were given, but you did not let it break you. If anything it has made you stronger. You are an amazing girl, Emma. I do not want you to ever lose sight of that. So you were tossed to the side... The ugly duckling who does not seem to fit in. That just means you will grow up to be a strong and beautiful swan." Regina finished with an affectionate squeeze to Emma's hands. A lone tear traveled down Emma's cheek.

"Does that mean you think I'm ugly?" Emma feigned offense. Regina scoffed and playfully smacked Emma in the shoulder resulting in a brief fit of laughter. Once it had died down Emma looked back at Regina. "Thank you, Gina."

"Thank _you_, Em."

Their moment was ended by the sound of Regina's cell phone. She reached for her bag and began to dig through it. When she pulled out the phone, she flipped it open and glanced at the number.

"It's the shelter." she stated looking up at Emma.

"Shit!" was Emma's only reply.

"Language, Emma." Regina lightly scolded.

"Whatever! Come on, let's go!"


	7. Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve

Everything seemed to change after that day. The pull that existed between the two girls was still strong as ever, but Regina made a conscious effort to put some distance between herself and Emma. It's not that she didn't want to spend time with the younger girl, she just didn't want to hurt her. Once Regina returned to school, she knew she wouldn't have time to keep volunteering at the shelter. Then, shortly after graduation, she would be heading off to college. She just figured that her departure would be easier for the both of them if she started distancing herself now. So Regina tried to remain busy during her hours at the shelter. She had taken to tutoring some of the older kids during their study groups and, when Granny mentioned needing an extra hand in the kitchen, Regina had proved to be a big help.

Emma knew what Regina was doing. She was pretty good at it herself. She played along the best she could, only really sharing smiles in passing. Whenever Regina was tutoring, Emma would grab her borrowed copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and read at the next table. On Wednesday, Regina couldn't resist. When she was done tutoring, she sat next to Emma and asked her about her book. They spent about 20 minutes alone talking like nothing had changed. Emma was actually surprised to find that Regina had read the series as well. She told her about how her father would always buy the latest copy and hide it under her pillow so her mother wouldn't find it. Her mother would never allow her to indulge in such childish things, so Regina would stay up and read after her parents went to bed.

That was the only moment they really had together. Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about her party. It wasn't anything extravagant. Granny would bake a cake, Red would put on some music, and Snow would come up with some games for the kids to play. Up until the kiss, it was the only "perfect" in Emma's life. She normally didn't care about gifts, but this year she only wanted one, and that was for Regina to keep her promise.

It was the day of Emma's party and as predicted, Red had thrown together a mix of music to play. Emma sat alone atop one of the tables pushed against the wall smiling as the older kids went around dancing crazy with the younger ones. She was smiling, but inside was another story.

"Em! Come dance with me!" Red had approached her with a huge smile and shaking her hips to Eve ft. Gwen Stefani.

"I don't really like to dance." Emma insisted.

"Oh come on, girl. That's not what you said last year!" Red did a spin to the music and started singing to the lyrics. "_It took a while to get me here and I'm gonna take my time. Don't knock that good shhh in ya ear. Now let me blow your mind_." Her moves had gotten a little saucy.

"You're not in a club, Ruby!" Red halted her hips, instantly scrunching her face at being caught.

"Sorry, Granny!" Ruby yelled back to her grandmother. Emma couldn't stop her fit of laughter. Ruby, or Red as Emma deemed her, was also in Regina's class. Surprisingly, she was best-friends with Snow. To the outsider looking in, Red was trashy. But anyone who knew her, knew that she was an amazingly sweet and awesome person, who just liked to dress a little risqué. She never cared what anyone thought of her.

"Now there's the Emma I was looking for!" Red cheered. Emma gave her a pointed look. Red sighed "Don't worry Em. She'll be here. Now dance with me!" Red pulled Emma from the table.

"Ugh. Fine!" Emma laughed. They joined the other kids just in time for 3 Doors Down. Red knew Emma loved this song. They began to dance around.

"_Well I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind. I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time_!" Red and Emma sang together as they danced with the other kids. Emma finally managed to relax and was enjoying herself as she and Red entertained some of the smaller kids with their singing and wild moves. She was having so much fun, that she didn't notice Regina leaning in the door way smiling at their antics. Daniel stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder. She had been late because Daniel had showed up to her house to talk. They had worked through nearly everything and were in a good place, proving that their friendship could survive anything. They both apologized, but neither of them regretted their time together. When the beat changed, announcing a new song, Regina began to walk in Emma's direction. Red had noticed her and decided to keep the blonde facing away from the door. When Regina was about five feet away from the girls, she couldn't help but start moving to the Jay-Z song.

When she was close enough, she twirled her finger, signaling for Red to turn Emma around. Red grabbed Emma and twirled her around. Regina's insides flipped at the sight of the smile on Emma's face. Emma giggled when Regina began to mouth the lyrics to the song. This was probably the happiest moment in Emma's life and Regina was so glad that she could be a part of it. As the three girls continued to dance, Daniel took a seat next to a smiling Snow.

"You see it too... Don't you?" she stated when he sat down.

"Yes. I do." Daniel nodded and they continued to watch the kids dance.

When the song was over, Snow stopped the music and announced that it was time for some games out back. Most of the older kids continued to mingle, while the younger ones cheered and went running towards the door. Emma threw her arms around Regina's waist and squeezed. Regina laughed.

"I told you I would not miss it. Now go!" Regina shooed her in the direction of the backyard and Emma took off.

"Come on, Red!" Emma yelled to Ruby on her way out.

"You're coming too." Red grabbed Regina's hand and they headed out the door.

Regina and Daniel sat on a bench while Red and Snow guided the kids through a series of games. They played musical chairs, sack races, hot potato, and took turns at the piñata (courtesy of Snow's father). When Snow noticed some of the little ones losing energy, she called the games to a close, leading the young ones back in for nap time. When she returned everyone was standing around chit chatting and waiting for the close of an awesome party.

"SPEECH!" Snow yelled as soon as she walked back outside. It was sort of a small tradition for the older kids. This year, Emma told Snow ahead of time, that she would like to give one.

"SPEECH, SPEECH, SPEECH, SPEECH!" Everyone cheered as they moved aside and allowed Emma to take position in front of the group, her arms behind her back.

"I really don't know what to say. This has been the best birthday ever and I have all of you to thank for that. So thank you so much. I just hope that you all had as awesome of a time as I did." She took a brief pause and noticed Red uncovering large buckets that had been hidden around the yard. She smiled and then continued. "So, as this party comes to a close, I only have one last thing I need to say…" She brought her hands from behind her and yelled "RUN!"

And with that, the first water balloon went flying, hitting a very shocked Snow right on her side. The yard became full of screams and laughter as everyone went running to the buckets full of water balloons. Emma and Red had planned this surprise in secret and stayed up the previous night filling the balloons and hiding the buckets. Daniel couldn't resist and had joined the madness, while Regina quickly ducked behind a tree for safety. She laughed as she witnessed the chaos. That was until a lone water balloon landed on the back of her neck. For a second she stood there, frozen in utter surprise, as the water seeped down her back. She turned around to find Emma standing there, one brow raised and a smirk on her face.

"You did not just do that." Regina breathed.

"And what if I did?" Emma goaded her. Regina scoffed, ginning Emma a wicked grin.

"Run." was Regina's only reply.

So that is exactly what Emma did. She took off as Regina grabbed two balloons. She took off after Emma, glad that she decided to relax and wear a pair of shorts to the party. The balloon fight lasted around 30 minutes before the last balloon was tossed. Everyone had claimed Emma the victor since she was the birthday girl. The party was officially over and kids started heading to their rooms to change clothes. Granny and Snow handed out towels to keep the water trails in the hallways to a minimum. Daniel had agreed to head home to change and bring some clothes back for Regina when he was finished. Regina grabbed two towels from Snow and headed to the bench Emma had sat down and laid back on. She sat on the bench, placing the towels on the table behind her. She gently nudged Emma's knee to get her attention.

"Happy Birthday, Em" she said. Handing Emma a small white box when she sat up.

"You got me something?" Emma was surprised. Regina nodded her head.

"Open it."

She didn't need to be told twice. Emma slowly opened the box and gasped when she saw the beautiful white gold chain. The chain held a circular pendant with a swan in the middle. Emma couldn't take her eyes off it. A moment later Regina gently took the box from Emma's hands and removed the necklace.

"Turn around" she spoke quietly. Emma turned and lifted her hair, allowing Regina to fasten the chain around her neck. Emma turned back to face her, looking down and lightly tracing her finger across the swan on her neck.

"Gina... You didn't have to..." she was at a loss for words.

"I wanted to." Regina lifted Emma's chin. "I never want you to forget how special you are." She wiped away the tear from Emma's cheek and replaced it with a kiss. She pulled back with a soft smile. After a moment she cleared her throat and removed her hand from Emma's cheek.

"It has your name engraved on the back. Emma. I would have added your last name, but then I realized I did not know It." She looked at Emma with a slightly questioning look.

"I don't have one. I mean... I did... Once. Smith. I stopped using it years ago. It wasn't my name. It had no connection to who I am. When I figure who I am, I'll give myself a new one." She shrugged like it was no big deal. Regina stared for a moment before responding.

"And you are sure you are only 12?"

"Yea, pretty sure." Emma giggled.

After Daniel had returned, Regina changed her clothes and opted to stay and hang out with the birthday girl. She did whatever Emma wanted, which mainly consisted of joking and laughing over various board games. Red and Snow had joined them for a game of Sorry and Uno, before they had to leave to help Granny. After Emma and Regina finished a round of almost every game in the game closet, they moved to Emma's dorm. There, they lost track of time just talking. They talked about everything, including how things worked out with Daniel. Regina was settled on the bed near the headboard with her back against the wall. Emma was lying on her back, with her head in Regina's lap. They had just finished a game of 20 questions when Regina had noticed the time.

"I need to get home and cook dinner." She sighed and looked down at the blonde.

"OK." Emma had sat up and turned to Regina. "Thank you... for coming today. It was perfect." She smiled. Regina got up and headed to the door. She paused and turned back to Emma on her way out.

"Well... I mean, it is not like I had anything better to do." She playfully rolled her eyes and flashed a smile. Emma had gasped and pretended to be offended.

"Goodnight, Em." Regina closed the door behind her. Emma fell back on the bed with a smile on her face.

"Best... Birthday... Ever."


	8. Pretty Wings - Maxwell

The rest of summer went by without a hitch. Nothing major to report. Emma and Regina stuck to their previously established routine. Regina came in and rotated wherever she was needed. She would then meet with the older kids and tutor them while Emma sat at the next table reading her latest book. For some reason, just being in each other's presence was enough. On Wednesdays, Regina would sit with Emma and discuss the book she was reading. Then, she would help Granny prepare dinner, before saying goodbye to Emma and heading home. One evening, Regina left the shelter, not realizing it would be the last time she saw Emma before leaving for college.

Her senior year had officially started that Monday and Regina's schedule was a beast. On Mondays and Thursdays she had AP Calculus, AP History and AP English. On Tuesdays and Fridays she had AP Chemistry, Spanish 4, and Dance. She was lucky since her father spoke fluent Spanish and the dance squad was given a whole period to practice that also counted as P.E. At least then she didn't have to schedule an after school practice on those days. Wednesdays they had every class, but each was only half as long. In addition to her insane work load, she had debated team practice every day after school except Wednesdays which was Historical Club day. On days she had after school dance practice, she had asked Katherine to lead the squad until she finished with her other teams. She hated having to relinquish her power for even half the practice, but Katherine was the only one she trusted to be willing to pass the lead back.

With all she had going on, Regina had half a mind to forgo running for class president. But she wanted that 4th year. She barely had anytime to herself, let alone time to see Emma, and it killed her. She thought about the younger girl often and kept telling herself she would visit, but something always came up. Like Ashley becoming pregnant and having to quit the squad, forcing the team to hold emergency tryouts. Overall Regina's senior year was going great. Her grades were great, the debate team was 5-0, and the squad was on schedule for their first competition. In addition, she also won the election for class president. With Daniel being elected class treasurer and being co-captain in debate this year, they were able to spend time together despite their hectic schedules. She only needed one thing, or person, to make her last year of high school perfect. She had to find time to see Emma.

Emma was lost. It had been two months since she had seen Regina, but she put on a good face to show that she wasn't affected. She kept herself preoccupied with a series of well-planned shenanigans, one of which may have involved a very detailed string maze/web that covered Red's entire room. She would deny her involvement until she was old and gray, but they all knew who the culprit was. When she wasn't out causing trouble, she was in her room reading. Really she was thinking, but the open book helped keep her from getting too deep within her thoughts. She knew this day would come. Regina would go back to her normal life and become something or someone great, leaving Emma behind. Maybe she should have keep her distance after all. Still, the thoughts didn't keep her from trying to see the brunette again. She had convinced Snow to take her to the Homecoming game with her.

Emma didn't really care about the football game happening on the field. While Snow watched intently, she continued to scan the stadium, trying to catch a glance of Regina. She knew they would be dancing at half time, but she didn't see the squad sitting anywhere. They must be in the locker rooms. Emma's nerves were out of control. She bounced in her seat and passed the time watching Snow and David steal glances at each other when they thought no one was looking. Good thing Katherine was in the locker rooms too, or she would flip. Katherine knew the only reason David signed them up at the shelter was because of Snow. Emma figured the only reason Katherine agreed was to rub her relationship in Snow's face. Bitch... Emma was deep in her thoughts when she realized that Snow had been calling her name.

"What?" Emma replied, trying to catch up with what was going on.

"Look." Snow simply pointed to center field where the dance squad was getting into position with the band. She didn't see Regina anywhere on the field. She had begun to slump in her seat when the band began to play their rendition of Missy Elliot's Get Your Freak On. It was then that she saw Regina and Katherine jogging out to center field to join the squad. At the first site of the beautiful dark hair, she was sitting at attention. After repeating the intro three times the band came to an immediate and precisely timed halt and the actual song began to play over the speakers. The crowd began to cheer as the girls began to dance starting with Regina, Katherine and Mal. Snow whispered to her that the three were basically the HBIC at this school. The dance routine cycled through a variety of popular songs, including Bootylicious, where some of the football players came out to join in. Really they just stood there and let the senior girls grind against them. They crowd went wild anyway, while Emma had this strange desire to go up to the guy behind Regina, and punch him in the face.

When the routine was over, the band began to play and the cheerleaders took the field, led by Red and Belle. Emma took off towards the entrance to the locker rooms, hoping to get a moment with Regina. She stopped when she saw Gina, Katherine and Mal standing outside the locker rooms talking to a small group of the football players. David had his arm around Katherine's neck. Regina had her hand on her hip and was presenting a flirty smirk to the jock that was standing behind her on the field. Mal had two of the boys fawning over her. One had his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, while she shamelessly flirted with the one in front of her. Either she had mad skills or she was a total slut. The guy talking to Regina had the name Humbert on the back of his jersey. Emma continued to watch the girls interactions, just hoping Regina would look her way. She didn't notice when Snow had caught up to her.

"Hard to believe Regina would even give Graham the time of day." Snow said as she walked up behind Emma.

"Why not? He's handsome." Emma stated simply trying to hide her emotions.

"That he is. They call him the Huntsman. He's always looking for the next skirt to get under." Snow shook her head. She shifted slightly when she noticed David glance her way. Just then, Katherine whispered something in Regina's ear, causing the brunette to laugh. Suddenly Katherine was dragging Regina away from Graham and into the locker room. In turn, Regina grabbed Mal's wrist, taking her with them. She never even noticed Emma.

"I'm... just gonna head back. You can stay if you want." Emma was still staring at the door to the lockers.

"I'm not going to let you walk back alone, Em. Come on." Snow put an arm around Emma's shoulder and started guiding her away. 'Damnit Regina' she thought to herself.

After that, Emma had decided that that was it. She was resolved to the idea that things didn't change. Not for kids like her. Regina looked happy and she didn't want to risk getting in the way of that. She knew it was time to do what she did best. Snow, on the other hand, had a different plan. Monday morning she approached Regina at her locker.

"Regina, can we talk for a sec?" Snow pushed aside her nerves. Regina sighed and turned to face Snow.

"I really do not have time for your latest 'save the rabbits or squirrels or whatever helpless creature' speech. If you want to run a fundraiser, then submit a proposal, like every other club in this school. Now, if you will excuse me." Regina closed her locker and turned to leave. 'Wow... she really jumped back into bitch mode didn't she?' Snow thought to herself before calling out.

"Then maybe you have time for Emma..." That seemed to stop Regina in her tracks. She turned around and slowly walked back to Snow with an unreadable look on her face.

"I will find time" she stately quietly.

"Just make sure it's soon. She's walking around the shelter, trying to pretend like your being gone isn't hurting her. She has barely even spoken since she saw you with Graham..." Snow was cutoff.

"The Huntsman?! When did she see me with him?" Regina inquired.

"By the locker rooms, after your performance at the homecoming game" Snow replied.

"She was there? Why didn't she say anything?" Regina was a mix of emotions.

"Well you did seem a bit preoccupied." Snow gave her a knowing look.

"Do not look at me like that. You and I both know that Graham is nothing but a Man-Whore. I would never... I was just humoring him." She defended herself.

"It's really none of my business, Regina. Just please find the time to come see her." Snow insisted.

"I'll come see her as soon as I can" she promised.

It was Thursday when Regina found some extra time in her schedule. School had been let out early for a teacher's conference and she had two hours before she needed to return for debate. When she entered the shelter she headed to the office to sign in. Upon entering, she found Snow sitting at the small table doing her homework.

"Regina? What are doing here?" Talk about déjà vu.

"I had some time and thought I would come hang out with Emma." She tried to push pass her butterflies. Snow looked to her with a very confused expression. "What?" Regina was getting a little impatient.

"Emma said she talked to you..." Snow half stated and half asked.

"No, she did not. Talked to me about what, Snow." Regina was now confused and concerned.

"Oh God." Snow gasped at the realization. "Regina... Emma's gone."

"What do you mean she is gone?!" Regina demanded.

"She asked Blue, the director here, to help find her a foster family. She left for Virginia this morning" Snow finished quietly.

Regina couldn't breathe. She turned around slowly and walked away, ignoring Snow calling after her. She walked to her car and sat in the driver's seat. She knew that she and Emma would part ways but this was too soon. She wasn't ready. She had fucked up and she knew it. She had gotten so wrapped up in her school activities that she had virtually forgotten about Emma. She abandoned her and now she was gone. She closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She sat in her car for nearly the entire two hours before noticing that it was time for debate. She started the engine and drove off. She didn't go to debate though. Nor did she attend dance after that. Instead she drove to Daniel's house, where he took her to his room and held her until she fell asleep.


	9. The Mayor, the Sheriff, and the Deputy

**A/N - We have reach the time jump! From here I will be posting chapters slower. (I know I know, I'm sorry!) I want to take some extra time and really plan out the events. I will still try to post as quickly as I can though. Just wanted to give you all a heads up. I am so thrilled you guys are enjoying this story! Thank you!**

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><p>"Mmmm..." She moaned and threw her head back against the wall. Her chest was rising up and down from the short heavy breaths. When she felt her phone begin to vibrate in blazer pocket, one hand shot to the head between her legs, while the other fished out the phone in her pocket. She looked at the caller ID and grabbed a fistful of hair, effectually halting their ministrations, and answered the phone.<p>

"What?" she was annoyed. "Thank you, Sidney" and she hung up the phone, sliding it back into her pocket. She leaned her head back against the wall. "You have five minutes, Sheriff."

She reached her peak in three. They kissed hungrily while Regina quickly adjusted her lace panties and then her skirt.

"So what about me?" They broke apart from the heated kiss and Regina wiped her lips clean.

"Maybe next time, dear." She leaned in and gave a small lick to the corner of the Sheriff's mouth, moaning at the faint taste of herself. Then she quickly turned to her mirror to check her make-up and fix her hair. "Your new deputy is on her way in for her briefing. Now go clean yourself up. You would not want her to know just how messy of an eater you are." Regina had turned to face the Sheriff with a seductive smirk on her face, then moved to re-situate herself at her desk.

"Ah, bout time she got here. Swan's always had good timing." The Sheriff was now checking himself in the mirror.

"Well she better be worth it, Sheriff. I have not had the time to read through her file. As such, I am going completely off your recommendations." Regina was already back into Mayor mode.

"Trust me. Swan was one of the east coast's most talented Bounty Hunters. She's more than qualified" he replied with confidence.

"And why, may I ask, would a big time Bounty Hunter be moving to such a small town?" Regina was proud of her quiet little town, but even she was hard pressed to return after living on the outside. It took her father's illness to draw her back.

"She has a five year old son. Said she wanted to settle down somewhere nice and was looking for a safer job." The sheriff shrugged and took a seat in one of the empty chairs in front of the Mayor's desk.

"Well then, I suppose she picked a good place." She was now straightening out the papers on her desk, as she awaited the new deputy's arrival.

"Since we're waiting here, Regina. How about we talk..." He was quickly cutoff.

"Now is not the time, Sheriff." She tried to remain in a professional zone.

"It's never the right time, Madame Mayor." He was slightly annoyed.

"Graham..." she raised her head slowly to look at him. "We have had this conversation before. I was not then, nor am I now, looking for a relationship. There was a time, Huntsman, when you would have done almost anything to sleep with me. Can you not just be happy that you finally have?" Now Regina was annoyed too.

"That was 10 years ago, Regina. I'm not that guy anymore and..." He was cutoff again. Regina had snapped to her feet and leaned across her desk, clearly having reached her limit.

"And I am not that girl anymore, Graham." Graham had risen to his feet and Regina circled the desk, getting right in his face. "I am a successful and powerful woman and the Mayor of this town. I do not have the time, nor the desire, to cater to you and your _feelings_. So if it is a Happily Ever After you are looking for, Sheriff, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you just wanna fuck... well then you know where to find me." When she finished, she simply stared at him with one brow raised, daring him to continue. This caused the Sheriff to storm out of her office, surprising the Deputy, who was just about to knock on the door. Regina watched him go, then shifted her gaze to a pair of nervous green eyes. She stared at the deputy for a moment before clearing her throat.

"Deputy Swan, I assume. Please, have a seat." She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk before heading back to her own. "And who do we have here?" Regina inquired with a small smile.

When Emma accepted the offer from Graham, she didn't know what she was thinking. Well to be honest, she had the same name running through her mind the whole time. She had been working a case with her boss in Boston, when she ran into Graham a couple of years ago. He flirted, she was amused, but when he tried to make a move, she had him face down and arms behind his back in seconds. He was impressed, and after a series of apologies, they started over. They had become more acquaintances than friends. He was the one who mentioned that Regina had won the election for Mayor a year ago. So when he mentioned the need of a new deputy, she accepted almost immediately.

Now she was wrecked with nerves. Sitting in front of the woman who had stolen her heart so many years ago. She had worked hard to move on from that childhood crush that never seemed to go away. The only good that came from that effort, was curled up in her arms, fast asleep. She took some relief in the fact that Regina hadn't seem to recognize her. She still had features from her younger self, but she had also changed a lot. For one she had died her hair a few years back, keeping it a dark brown. It was shortly after she had her son and needed a change. She had filled out quite a bit, in all the right places. She wasn't that skinny little orphan anymore.

"Um... This is my son, Henry." she looked at her sleeping child and smiled.

"Henry... That was my father's name." There was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"It's a strong name." Emma replied.

"Yes. It is." Regina shook off the strange feeling of comfort that came over her and continued on with the briefing. They went over policies and procedures, as well as pay. Regina was so professional... and beautiful. Emma spent most of the meeting just watching the woman. How could her stomach still be in knots after 10 years? All Emma wanted to do was stand up and tell her who she is, who she was, but she knew she couldn't. Not after the conversation she had just overheard between the Mayor and the Sheriff. How long had she been sleeping with Graham? It brought back feelings of wanting to punch him in his face. When the briefing was over Regina walked her to the door and opened it for her.

"It was nice meeting you, Deputy. I look forward to working with you." Regina gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you... Madame Mayor." Emma had almost called her Gina, but she recovered quickly. There was a shift from the little person in her arms. Regina moved closer to Emma so that she could catch a glimpse of Henry's sleepy face.

"Well, look who is awake." Regina smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Are you a nice stranger?" he asked sleepily. Regina laughed lightly.

"Yes, dear. I am." Henry looked to his mother for approval. Emma nodded and smiled at him, causing the largest smile to appear on Henry's face. He then turned to Regina and caught the brunette off guard when he leaped into her arms. He hugged her tightly around her neck.

"I'm so sorry. He's usually pretty shy with new people." Emma was shocked at her son's actions.

"It is quite alright." Regina chuckled. "You are a very handsome young man, Henry" she said to the young boy in her arms.

"You know my name?!" he replied with wide eyes. "Hey, what's yours?" Both women smiled at the young boy.

"Henry, this is Mayor Regina Mills. Mommy's new boss." Emma told him.

"Ohhhh. It's very nice to meet you, Mad Mayor?" Henry looked to his mother to see if he said it right.

"Madame, Henry." Emma corrected him. Regina just smiled.

"You, sweetheart, can call me Gina" she told the boy as she put him down. That caught Emma's attention and she stared at Regina.

"OK!" Henry said before turning to Emma. "Mommy I'm hungry" he whined. Emma had still been staring at Regina. She cleared her throat and looked away when Regina looked up at her.

"Um... right. Let's go find a place to eat, kid." Emma told him.

"Granny's, on Main St., has excellent food." Regina offered.

"Granny's?" Emma questioned. Regina simply nodded. "Great. Thank you, Madame Mayor."

"My pleasure, Deputy. Enjoy your evening." Regina stood in her doorway and watched the mother and son leave. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as her eyes traveled the length of the deputy's body. What the hell was she doing? She shook herself out of it and walked back into her office, pulling out her cell phone as she went.

"Sheriff... be at my house in 30 minutes or I am calling this off. Your choice." She hung up the phone. Part of her hoped he would choose not to show, but she knew he would.


	10. Dying from Hunger

Emma had located the diner easily enough. Her nerves had subsided and now she was more excited to see Red and Granny. She opened the door and Henry took off toward a vacant booth. She took her time catching up to him, taking in the site of the diner filled with customers. She didn't see anyone behind the counter, so she sat down with Henry and waited. They were in the middle of a very intense game of Thumb War when Emma caught site of the dark haired waitress. She still had her red streak in her hair. Emma took in the mini skirt, skin tight crop top and mid calf boots and whistled.

"If every waitress dressed like that, I'd eat out more often." Emma said loud enough for the brunette to hear.

"Excuse me?" the waitress spun around with a look of annoyance on her face.

"Hey Red." Emma replied with a smile. Red's eyes widened in recognition.

"Emma!" the waitress rushed over and engulfed her in a huge hug.

"It's good to see you too." Emma chuckled.

"Your hair..." Red trailed of, running her fingers through the tips of the brown mane. Then she stepped back to take in the the look of her old friend. "Damn, Em. Look who grew up and turned all sexy!"

"Red.." Emma cautioned and nodded her head toward the 5 year old intently watching them. Red glanced at the boy then turned back to Emma.

"Who is that?" Red asked. Before Emma could respond, the tiny human in question spoke up.

"I'm Henry Swan." He smiled. Red studied the boys features.

"Your Emma's son." She stated

"Yep. She carried me in her tummy for like, 1000 months." He finished dramatically. Red suppressed a laugh and turned back to Emma.

"Yep. He's yours." she chuckled. "So... Emma Swan?" she asked. Emma simply nodded. Ruby thought for a minute, noticing the swan necklace on her friends neck. "I like it." Red joined Emma and Henry at there table. "Something tells me that childhood crush of yours never really went away" She added, eyeing the white gold chain.

"I think it just got deeper." Emma sighed.

"You've seen Regina? How did that go?" Red inquired.

"Well, she didn't recognize me, for one. She was so professional. The meeting was short and to the point. I couldn't take my eyes off of her the entire time, Red. But, I couldn't bring myself to tell her who I was." She paused and glanced at Henry, who was now drawing pictures of UFOs on Ruby's note pad. "I can't believe she didn't recognize me."..."Mommy"... "I mean she even looked at me right in the eyes."... "Mommy"... "I saw her pause and then she was all business like it was nothing."... "Mooommmmyy" Henry dragged out his whine and grabbed Emma's arm.

"Yes, Henry?" Emma sighed.

"I'm dying from hunger." He informed her, dramatically dropping his head onto the table.

"Let me go ahead and get your orders in." Red laughed. She took their order and took it back into the kitchen. She returned about 20 minutes later with Granny in tow. They were carrying Emma and Henry's dinner.

"Emma..." Granny said affectionately. Emma rose from her seat to give Granny a hug.

"It's good to see you Granny." Emma said quietly. Emma returned to her seat and got Henry situated with his food. Granny remained standing and moved next to where her granddaughter was seated. "This little booger, is my son, Henry."

"You're a booger." was Henry's muffled response. He had already dug into his food and had a mouth full of fries.

"Manners, kid." Emma lightly scolded.

"Well aren't you Handsome." Granny addressed the child.

"I know." He replied.

"Henry..." Emma scolded again.

"Thank you." Henry corrected with a huge smile directed at Granny.

"He's definitely yours." Granny stated before heading to a table that was newly occupied. "Don't take too long Red!"

"When did you guys leave the shelter?" Emma inquired.

"When Mayor Gold shut it down." Red sigh. Emma's eyes went wide in shock and curiosity. "A couple years after you left, Gold decided that the town needed to focus more on tourists and expanded. He proposed to have shelter shut down and remodeled into a hotel." Red took in Emma's expression. "I know right?! Tourists in Storybrooke? Then man was greedy and very inappropriate. I can't Belle slept with him. Fucken gross." Red finished up her rant.

"Ruby..." Emma scolded. Luckily Henry was blissfully swirling his chicken tender in bbq sauce. "Wait, Belle did what?!" Emma's mind finally caught up to the conversation.

"Yea. They lasted a couple of years, but she left him after he bullied enough town officials to pass his proposal. He had all the children transferred out of here. He didn't get to finish his project though." Red left Emma hanging.

"What happened?" Emma asked eagerly.

"Regina happened. She pushed him out of office. It was too late to save the shelter, but she stopped the reconstruction. She's proposed to have a huge park built instead." Red finished.

"Wow." Emma was at a loss for words.

"Yea. She has done a lot of good for this town. In only a year too. She helped Snow start her own children's home. The town is paying to have the old fire station renovated to accommodating about 10 kids."

"That's amazing" Emma was in awe.

"So you're staying?" Red asked

"Yea. I'm staying. You are looking at the new town Deputy." Emma smiled.

"Awesome! I have to get back to work before Granny has an aneurysm. You, me, and Jack Daniels Friday night. We have tons of catching up to do. I"ll invite Snow and Belle." Ruby got up to leave.

"It's a date." Emma replied with a smile.

Emma suddenly wasn't feeling very hungry. She leaned back in her seat and watched Henry happily eat his food. She kept asking herself why she came back here. She knew the answer, but she didn't know what she was going to do with. She came back to see Regina, but now what. She wanted to tell the woman who she was, but she was scared of how the brunette would react. Emma knew she shouldn't have left like she did so long ago, but that is what she did. When she saw the conflict approaching, she ran before it could get to her. It all started unintentionally when she was 8 years old. At first, she was continuously moved around do to circumstance. Then when she was 8, she ran away for the first time.

She was living in a foster home with 3 other children. One of the couples birth children was a nasty little brat. He was 12 years old and spoiled rotten. Not a day that went by, where he wasn't bullying Emma in some way. One night he had decided it would be fun to lock Emma in a small closet for nearly 5 hours. She was genuinely scared of the boy. After being constantly threatened, she ran from the house with only her backpack and baby blanket. She wasn't lost long. She was found in the local library and handed over to the police when she refused to speak to anyone. After that, she made a habit of running. She wasn't looking for a prefect home. She just wanted to be somewhere she knew she would be OK. That's why she liked the Storybrooke shelter so much. She knew she should have stayed. At least her impulsive decisions got her Henry.

He was the first person to make her want to stop running. She wanted to settle down for him and give him some stability. Emma didn't feel like they could settle here, in Storybrooke, until she figured out this thing with Regina. She needed to talk to her. To find out if there is still something there. Emma still felt it and she found herself hoping that Regina would feel it too.

Regina quietly out of her bed, not wanting to wake the sleeping sheriff. She grabbed her robe off the chair near her vanity and covered her bare body. She walked quietly downstairs to her study and poured herself a small helping of cider. She thought briefly about the man upstairs. She wasn't looking forward waking him, but she wouldn't allow him to stay the night. That would only start up more unwanted conversations. She didn't want a relationship. She just wanted to be able to scratch an itch without needing AA batteries. She wouldn't have even called him over this evening, if it wasn't for that damn deputy in those skin tight jeans and those beautiful green eyes. She had spent the entire briefing avoiding those hypnotic eyes. She couldn't help feeling like she knew those eyes, or they knew her, or something. Regina let out a frustrated huff, rolling her eyes and swallowing the last of her drink. Then she headed back upstairs to deal with Graham.


	11. Dem jeans, though!

Red had texted Emma, letting her know that they would be meeting at the Rabbit Hole later that night. Granny had agreed to watch Henry. They were staying at the Bed and Breakfast, so everything worked out quite nicely. She still had a few hours before she needed to get ready and decided to take Henry down to the diner for dinner. She had ordered him his favorite, chicken tenders with mac and cheese, and a burger and fries for herself. They were close to completing their meals, when Sheriff Graham approached the table.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Not at all." Emma replied.

"You getting around OK? I know it's a small town, but some places are easy to get turned around in." Graham took a seat across from them.

"It's not so bad of a transition. Not much has changed." She shrugged.

"You've been here before?" he asked while grabbing Red's attention.

"I... uh... yea. I stayed here with family for a couple of years when I was younger." Emma didn't want to reveal too much about her past. Graham nodded attentively.

"Hey, Graham. Your usual?" Red had approached the table, placing her hand on the sheriff's shoulder as she spoke to him. Emma watched the exchange and all the body language Ruby was speaking. Graham was completely oblivious.

"Yes, please. Thank you Rubes." Graham answered.

"Right away, Sheriff." Red threw him a wink and was off to put in his order. Interesting...

"So... the Sheriff and the Mayor?" Emma knew Graham long enough to be able to get straight to the point. She just had to have more information.

"It's not exactly town gossip worthy." He was trying to avoid the topic.

"I don't do 'town gossip', Graham. You know I like to go to the source." Emma reminded him.

"It's nothing, Swan." He kept his replies short. Emma scoffed.

"Yea, she made that pretty clear in her office." She informed him of what she had overheard without actually saying it.

"What can I say? She's driven, knows what she wants." he said.

"Why hang around then? Allow yourself to be treated that way?" She inquired. Part of her genuinely meant it. The other part wanted Graham out of the way. Jealousy can be a bitch.

"At some point I had convinced myself that someday she would be ready to take that step. Why the interest, anyway?" he countered.

"Curious mind, but it seems to me, that a handsome man like you would have plenty of other options out there." As if on cue, Ruby returned to the table with the sheriff's dinner.

"Mommy can I have Mii-time now?" Henry spoke up. Henry had a small addiction of creating various Mii characters on the Wii. Emma looked at her watch and figured it would be a good time to shower anyway.

"Sure, kid." she addressed him. "Enjoy your dinner Graham. I'll see you Monday." Graham already had a mouthful of steak and gave Emma a half-assed salute as a goodbye.

An hour and a half later, Emma walked into the Rabbit Hole, ready for a drink. She looked around the bar and spotted Snow waving her over to their table. She smiled and headed that way. Snow had jumped up to meet her half way and engulfed her in a hug.

"It is so good to see you, Em. How have you been? You look amazing!" Snow went right into the questions.

"It's good to see you too, Snow. How about we get some drinks first and then answer questions?" Emma laughed.

Snow and Emma had ordered drinks and were reminiscing when Ruby and Belle arrived. They joined the two other brunettes at the table.

"You ladies are just in time." Emma had just ordered four shots of tequila. Snow handed a shot to Belle on her right and one to Ruby, sitting across from her. She then used her left hand to pass the third shot to Emma, unknowingly showcasing the diamond on her finger. Emma sat down then grabbed Snow's hand.

"You're married?!" Emma exclaimed.

"I am!" Snow replied cheerfully.

"Who? Oh my god, is it Victor?!" Emma was seriously hoping it wasn't.

"No." Snow laughed. "Actually, I am Mrs. Nolan now." Snow couldn't stop the shy but excited smile on her face.

"Oh my god, Snow!" Emma leaned over to give the woman a hug. "How? When?" she questioned. Snow opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Belle.

"That... is a story best told after a few rounds of tequila" the Australian beauty stated.

Belle held up her shot to signal a cheers. Lick, drink, bite and within seconds Ruby was ordering another round. The four friends drank and laughed and told stories and Belle was right. After some promised Jack Daniels and two more shots, Emma had to know what happened with Snow and her Prince Charming.

"Well, Katherine had decided to go to Yale with Regina. David had to stay in Maine so he could be with his family. See, his father had been in a car accident and couldn't work. So David wanted to stay and help his mother." Red had decided to start off the tale.

"Right. So Katherine and David wanted to try the long distance thing." Snow added.

"Those never work." Belle threw in.

"Not in this case, anyway. I ran into David at the animal shelter one evening. I had found this poor bird trapped in the back alley. David had told me that the bird wouldn't survive on its own without its family. So I wanted to try to find its flock, but David insisted that I couldn't go alone. He drove out to the woods with me and we walked around looking for any signs of the bird's family." Snow took a breath. "The entire time we just talked..."

"And then, out of nowhere, its starts pouring down rain" a slightly inebriated Belle adds.

"So the two love birds are forced to find shelter until the storm passes" Ruby helps. They have clearly heard the story before.

"So we manage to find this abandoned cabin. We stayed there for hours talking while we waited out the storm. I wasn't even expecting it when David just leaned in and kissed me." Snow finished, feeling somewhat scandalized.

"They had sex on a dirty cabin floor" Red stated matter-of-factly.

"Ruby..." an embarrassed Snow scolded.

"What? It was quite the scandal for our little Snow White" Ruby teased.

"So you would think..." Belle trailed off into her tumbler of Jack.

"What do mean?" Emma was totally into the story. So into it, that she didn't notice when Regina entered the bar with Mal. Ruby, however, did notice.

"Well, David wanted to break things off with Katherine before we could attempt any kind of relationship. It turns out that Katherine was in the same situation with a guy she had met at school. The two talked and they ended things amicably. Katherine and Fredrick have been married for 3 years now." Snow finished up the story.

"Wow" was all Emma could think to say. Jack was treating her good right now. Ruby leaned to her right, whispering something into Emma's ear. Emma looked up to see Regina sitting at a table in the corner with Mallory. She tried not to react and rejoined the current conversation. Out of habit, her right hand began to play with the charm around her neck.

When Regina had walked into the bar, she wasn't expecting to see the deputy. She had followed behind Mal all the way to their usual table, before she even noticed the woman. She had been waving down the bartender when she finally caught sight of the brunette enjoying drinks with her friends. She was talking and laughing like she they were old friends. For about 10 whole minutes, Regina couldn't take her eyes off the deputy. She watched as they took presumably another shot. Mal had been talking to her about a case she was currently working on in Boston, but Regina barely heard a thing. She was almost entranced. The lighting was dim, but she could still make out the woman's green eyes. And her smile... The deputy had this award winning smile that made Regina's stomach do flips. She felt like she knew that smile, those eyes... Why was she intrigued by this woman?

"Regina, are you even paying attention to me?" Mal hated to be ignored. She followed the Mayor's eyes to the table of dark haired beauties, quickly spotting out Regina's target. "Really, Regina? Why not just sleep with her and get it over with?" Mal leaned back in her seat with a glass of red wine, watching her friend watch the deputy. Emma had gotten up to get a round of beers for the girls. She took a seat at the bar and waited for the bartender.

"That's not a bad idea. I need a shot." Regina stood up gracefully and headed to the bar. She approached her target and slid into the seat next to her. "Honestly, dear, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how you get into those jeans." Regina studied the woman's reaction, trying to gauge if it was safe to continue with another flirty remark. Emma was slightly startled, but recovered quickly, her hand shooting up to play with her charm.

"Very carefully, Madame Mayor." She smiled and chucked softly. Regina took this as a good sign.

"Mmm..." the brunette paused. "Well I must say that the effort was not lost." she smirked.

"Bold. Do you talk to all your employees like that?" the deputy teased back. The comment caused Regina to falter slightly. She shook away the strange feeling and cleared her throat.

"Only the ones worth my time, dear." Regina recovered smoothly. She grabbed her shot from the counter and got up to return to her friend. "You have a good evening, Miss Swan." Suddenly Regina felt the need to leave and collect her thoughts.

"You too." Emma watched her walk back to her table. Guess one thing did change. The Regina she knew didn't dress like that. Granted she was 17 and dedicated to school, but damn... skirts have come a long way. The girls stayed about another hour before parting ways. When Emma got up to leave, she noticed that Regina had already left.

Regina walked leisurely to her door when she heard the knock. When she opened the door she was quick to act.

"It's about time you got here." She grabbed the sheriff by his uniform, pulling him into the house and closing the door behind him.

"I'm working, Regina." Graham sighed.

"So am I..." Regina began kissing his neck while undoing his shirt buttons.

"We need to talk." He pushed her away gently.

"I did not call you here to talk, Sheriff." Regina was annoyed.

"You never do." He hung his head dejectedly.

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?" She had given in.

"I had an interesting talk with Deputy Swan." This caught Regina's attention.

"And what, may I ask, did Miss Swan have to say that was more important than this?"

Regina had plans for the sheriff, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to see where this was going.

"She made me think, Regina... and I need more than this. Yes, I was once the Huntsman, but not anymore. I want a family. I want to have kids." Regina had turned away from Graham and was now pacing back and forth with her arms wrapped around her waist.

"So you came all the way here to end this?" she questioned quietly.

"You are a beautiful and amazing woman, Regina. But... if you aren't willing to give this a try... a real relationship a try... then I need to move on" he finished quietly.

Regina continued to pace, not saying a word to the sheriff. What the hell was happening? This woman has been in her town for barely four days and was turning her life upside down. Graham wasn't supposed to be the one to end things. She didn't choose him for his ability to think for himself. What the hell did she say to him? Why the hell was it any of her business?

"Get out." She finally spoke.

"Regina..." he tried to reason with her.

"I said, Get. Out" she repeated and Graham left the house without another word.


	12. An excuse not to work

Emma woke a little before her alarm clock Monday morning. It was the first day that she was supposed to begin her job as town deputy. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. When she was finished, she took a moment to look herself over, running her fingers through her brown locks. Maybe she should go back to blonde. Regina would surely recognize her then. Her fingers trailed down to her necklace. She didn't have a 5 year old child accessorizing her neck today. That means her necklace would be in full view when she stopped by the Mayor's office later. She decided to remove it, taking it off slowly and placing it into a small emerald green, velvet drawstring bag. She had only taken this necklace off twice since it was given to her. Once during her short trip to jail and again when she had Henry. She hated being without it.

Once Emma was dressed, she grabbed the small velvet bag and slid it into her pocket. She got Henry up and ready to go and headed downstairs to the diner. She was going to need to find a place of her own soon. The Bed and Breakfast was very welcoming, but she needed more space for Henry and herself. She had run into Belle over the weekend. The Australian woman was more than happy to offer her services as Henry's babysitter while Emma was at work. They were to meet Belle in the diner for breakfast before she headed to the station. When the two entered the diner, Emma noticed Regina sitting at the front counter. She opted to sit in a booth as far from the woman as possible to hopefully avoid drawing her attention. That plan went downhill when Henry let go of his mother's hand and eagerly ran over to Regina.

"Gina!" the small boy ran to her side, scrambling onto the stool next to her.

"Well hello there, sweetheart. How are you this morning?" Regina ran her fingers through his hair. Emma decided to remain behind and watch the interaction between the two.

"Great! Mommy has to go to work today and I get to spend the entire day with Miss Belle. She's really pretty and she talks funny." Henry was excited to share his plans for the day.

"It's called an accent, dear. She speaks that way, because she is from Australia." She informed him with a chuckle.

"Is that in Maine?" He asked curiously.

"No, Henry." She smiled. "It is not in Maine." She decided she wasn't quite ready to give him lessons in geography.

"I wish I could stay with you today. I like you, you're nice and really pretty too." He leaned in and hugged the brunette. Regina had never had a child take to her so quickly. He was simply adorable.

"Thank you, dear. You are very sweet. I'm afraid you would not enjoy sitting around my office all day while I did paperwork." She put her arm around Henry and gave him a little squeeze.

"Is that like homework? Mommy had to do lots of homework when she went to school on her computer. Can I come see you today? Mommy always said I am a great excuse to not work. I can be your excuse too!" He finished with a very proud smile on his face.

"Yes, it is a bit like homework and I would love for you to come see me... if it is alright with your mother, of course." She smiled.

"Can I, Mommy?!" Regina had finally looked up to see the deputy standing quietly a few feet behind them.

"Of course, Henry. But, only if Miss Belle doesn't mind taking you" she answered, stealing a glance at the Mayor.

"Yesss!" The boy exclaimed.

"Well then, I hope to see you later." Regina addressed Henry. "I must be going. Deputy Swan, I expect to have those forms on my desk by 10 o'clock."

"Of course, Madame Mayor" was Emma's late reply. Regina had already turned and began walking towards the door.

Belle had arrived shortly after the Mayor's departure. Emma had gone ahead and ordered their breakfast to allow Henry a head start at finishing his food. Emma couldn't eat, so she only ordered herself a coffee. Her nerves were a complete mess. The forms Regina needed were all employee papers that needed to be filed. It was standard procedure, but Emma was nervous that Regina might want to go over them with her. That would inevitability lead to her seeing Emma's first name. She was lucky the Mayor skipped over her resume, due to the workload from the upcoming festival. If she were really lucky, the Mayor would over look this too.

Emma sat with Belle and Henry for another 20 minutes before heading off to the station. She still had a few of those forms to complete. When she arrived Graham was already there in his office.

"Good morning, Sheriff." Emma made herself known.

"Deputy." Graham returned with a smile.

They spent about 45 minutes getting Emma all set with everything she needed. The uniform, badge, station keys, cruiser key, issued firearm, and so forth. By the time she was all set, she had a little over an hour to get her forms to Regina. She got right to work. The office was quiet this morning and it seemed Graham had some paperwork of his own to finish up. It was 20 minutes to ten when he decided it was a good time to strike up a conversation.

"So I thought a lot about what you said at dinner the other night." He approached Emma's desk. She stared blankly at him for a second.

"Oh, right." She finally recalled their conversation from Friday.

"I decided I needed more than Regina was ready to give. I broke things off with her" he announced.

"That's good for you, Graham. I hope you find what you are looking for." Emma smiled politely.

"About that..." She looked up at the sheriff and waited for him to continue. "If you're still offering, I'm willing to give this a try." Another blank stare from Emma. This one lasted much longer.

"Offering?" She paused again. "Are you really that dense?" she asked, once she had caught on to what he meant. Graham looked confused. "I wasn't talking about me, Graham" she corrected him.

"But, I thought..." he was cutoff.

"No! Just stop..." Emma rolled her eyes and gathered the forms from her desk. "I have to get these forms to the Mayor's office. Maybe while I'm gone, you can use that time to figure out who I was actually referring in the conversation." She was starting to question whether she should even push him toward Red. She could clearly see that her friend was attracted to him and she knew Graham had changed a lot since high school. But, I mean, really?!

She was ten minutes late when she reached Regina's office. She knocked on the door when the secretary gave her the all clear.

"Come in." Regina called out. Emma entered and closed the door behind her. "You are late." She continued shifting through the papers on her desk.

"Uh, yea. Sorry about that. Graham needed to talk to me." This caused Regina to raise her head to look at the deputy. Regina held out her hand and Emma quickly handed her the forms. The Mayor set the forms to the side and went back to looking at the other files on her desk. Emma felt a wave of relief when she saw that they weren't going to review the forms. She shrugged and turned around to head back to the station, when Regina spoke again.

"Deputy Swan..." Regina stood up and moved to the front of her desk, leaning against it. Emma turned around with a curious look on her face. "It was brought to my attention that you felt the need to speak to the sheriff about his involvement with me." Regina had crossed her arms and stared down the deputy.

_Shit. Shit. Shit_... was all that ran through Emma's head. She pulled herself together, taking a slightly defensive stance.

"And what if I did?" Emma replied. Regina's brows creased slightly as a wave of Deja vu passed over her. She shook it off.

"If you did, Deputy, then you have clearly crossed a line. What happens between Sheriff Graham and myself is not now, nor will it ever be, any of your business." Regina growled. She had moved a few steps closer to the deputy and taken a defensive stance of her own.

"So what? I'm supposed to just sit back and watch you dangle him around like your little puppet?" Emma challenged her.

"So is that it? You saw your chance to push me out of the way so you and sheriff could have some epic fucken love story. I swear, Miss Swan, if you even..." She was cutoff.

"Jesus! What is with everyone thinking I'm into Graham?!" Emma had had enough. She dug into her pocket, pulling out the small velvet bag, and tossed it to the brunette. Regina caught it and looked up at Emma clearly confused. "Geez, Gina... It was never about Graham. It was always about you." Emma turned and stormed out of the office, leaving a very stunned and confused Mayor behind. Emma got into her car and finally let out the breath she was holding. She couldn't believe she just did that. _Shit_! Emma thought to herself again as she peeled of and headed back to the station.

Regina stood there for what felt like hours. She was angry and she was confused. The velvet bag in her hands drew her out of her haze. She eyed the small bag curiously, then slowly opened the drawstring. She poured the contents into her hand, noticing a pendant on the white gold chain. The next moment seemed to happen in slow motion. She lifted the chain to look at the small pendant dangling from it. Her breath caught when she saw the easily recognizable swan. She flipped the pendant over.

"Emma." She gasped. She slowly shook her head. "No" she whispered to herself. She hurried over to her desk and grabbed the folder Emma had handed her not long ago. As she flipped through the forms, it got harder to breathe. Every form contained the name Emma Swan...

"Oh, god." She gasped and slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs in front of her desk.


	13. Never Let Go - Anthony Hamilton

When Emma arrived back at the station, she didn't know what to do. She considered asking for a redo on her first day of work. Right about now she would much rather be curled up in bed. She decided it might be better to stay at work to keep her mind distracted. Yea... that plan failed. She knew things were quiet in Storybrooke, but she was starting to wonder why they even needed a deputy. Not that she was complaining, of course. It was a good job, with good pay, and in a safe place. She couldn't think of a better place to raise Henry. And now she was rambling in her head. She felt like she had just screwed everything up. Like she should have never come back here.

Regina couldn't concentrate on anything either. She had actually given up over an hour ago. She didn't even know why she was still at her office. She just continued to curse herself over and over. How could she not have known it was Emma? She thought about the green eyes and that beautiful smile. Ugh, even Henry had that smile and she didn't see it. Had she really blocked out that much of her past, where she couldn't even see the one person that truly touched her heart? She had been through so much. Her mother's death, Emma's disappearance, Daniel's death and then her father passing only 2 years ago. She had lost enough to know she didn't want to ever feel that way again. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she knew she had to see her.

Emma was sitting at her desk, looking at a picture of herself and Henry. It was just after Henry had been born. It was the only photo she had of the two of them together. After Henry's father had betrayed her, she never let another person close to her little family. So from that point she was always the one behind the camera. It is, until Henry figured out how awesome smart phones could be. She was lost in her thoughts when Graham emerged from the back room and noticed Regina walk in.

"Mayor Mills" Graham half stated and half questioned. Emma had reacted quickly, jumping to her feet. Brown eyes locked on green ones and never left.

"Sheriff Graham, can you give us a moment please?" Regina's eyes remained on Emma.

"Yea, sure." Graham grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

The two stood there for minutes just staring at each other. Neither of them knew what to say. Eventually Regina took a deep breath and began to walk towards Emma. She stopped about a foot away and took in all of the younger woman's features. Regina reached into her blazer pocket, pulling out the necklace. She gently reached around Emma's neck to fasten the clasp, placing it back where it belonged. Emma felt like she could barely breathe. She had no idea what was going on in Regina's mind. Regina had pulled the brown hair from within the chain and ran her fingers through it. Emma watched her intently, but couldn't bring herself to move. Regina trailed one hand to the swan around Emma's neck while the other tangled in brown curls at the back of Emma's head. She gently brought their foreheads together, bringing their bodies closer as well. Emma's hands shot straight to the older woman's waist. They stood there breathing each other in and not wanting to let go.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Regina whisper.

"I didn't know how. Gina..." Emma was cutoff.

"Don't... Do not call me that." Regina finally pulled away. "You left... I thought I would never see you again." She shook her head as one tear traveled down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry. I was young. I didn't know what else to do." Emma tried to reason with her.

"You could have come to me..."

"I tried!" She cut the brunette off. "I tried to come see you... but when I did, you... you looked happy. Like you didn't even need me." Now Emma was trying to stop her tears.

"I did need you. I didn't mean to be away so long. Things just got so crazy. But I wanted to come see you." Regina defended weakly.

"I know... I know that now, but then... I was 12 then. You were nearly 18 and had plans for your life. None of which involved staying here. You were leaving me and if it felt anything like it did those few months... I didn't want to face that." Emma had given up on trying to stop the tears.

"I would have come back for you..." Regina trailed off as she approached the blonde again and gently wiped her tears.

"The why start to push me away?" Emma looked into her brown eyes. Regina took a deep breath.

"I was scared, Emma. I didn't understand the feelings I had for you. It felt like... I was just so drawn to you and it scared me. I didn't know how to handle it. I couldn't bring myself to stay away from you, so I put distance between us. I thought it was for the best" she tried to explain. Nothing really made sense anymore. She waited for Emma to respond.

"I thought it was just a crush. I thought... that when I left, I would get over you in a matter of weeks. Maybe months." Emma spoke quietly. "I spent years... trying to get you out of my head. But when I saw you... after 10 years you stole my breath away. In that moment, my little childhood crush, got a hundred times stronger." Emma waited.

"Emma..." Regina breathed out painfully. "I don't know if I can..."

"I never stopped thinking about you. I'm not 12 anymore, Gina. I'm not going anywhere." Emma reasoned. She placed her hand back onto the Mayor's waist. Emma didn't know what the next step was. All she knew was that she wanted Regina.

Regina was twisted inside. Mixed feelings of joy and pain and she wanted it to stop. She had spent years pushing through and blocking out the pain of the all the love she had lost. Her mother could be horrible, but she loved her. She lost Daniel to a drunk driver in college. Then, she returned to Storybrooke, only to watch her father lose his battle with cancer. So much loss for one heart. Emma had left her without any warning. She had spent a long time blaming herself for not being there for the girl. She had realized then that she loved Emma. It didn't feel like it did now, but Emma had made her way into Regina's heart and here she was standing in front of the swan her little duckling had literally became.

"Gina..." Emma softly coaxed Regina out of her thoughts. She held her breath waiting for the older woman to respond. Regina leaned in and slowly kissed her. Emma gasped and softly returned the kiss, her hands gripping the brunette tighter. Regina slid her hand back into the brown curls. They could both feel the kiss becoming more sensual, but neither tried to deepen it. One of Emma's hands moved from Regina's waist to the curve of her ass. It took all the strength Regina had to pull away. Her breaths were heavy and she leaned her forehead against Emma's.

"I can't..." Regina spoke between breaths. "If I go there with you...I can't. I have to go." Regina pulled away from Emma's clutch and hurried out of the station.

"Regina, please!" Emma called after her.

Regina didn't go back to her office. She went home, just wanting to be alone with her thoughts. She didn't want to open herself up to the pain of loss again. She knew that, if she went there with Emma, if she let the woman back in, she wouldn't be able to lose her again. Then, there was Henry. She never really considered herself having children, but she felt drawn to the boy. She wanted to make him happy and to protect him. She wanted them in her life that much she knew for sure, but she was scared. When she entered her study, she immediately poured herself a tumbler of whiskey. She wanted something that would burn, something to help calm the raging emotions inside of her. When she had finished her drink, she removed her heels, leaving them on the floor by the couch. She walked upstairs to her bedroom and into her bathroom to start the shower. She moved as if on auto pilot, removing each layer of clothing and staring blankly into the mirror. When she was finished, she stepped into the shower, sat down in the tub and just let the hot water run over her.

Emma had actually surprised herself. She wasn't sad, or hurting, or angry. Well, she was a bit angry with the way things turned out. But, even more, she was determined. She was going to get Regina to let her back in. She knew that Regina still felt strongly about her. She just had to get her to give in. To show her that they were meant to be together. Why else would they both still feel this way after so long? She just had to get through to Regina and she had a good place to start. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.

"Hey, Belle. It's Emma. I need your help with something."

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><p><strong>AN HELLO!**

**For those of you who noticed the rating change and are like 'wtf?'... YES! I do intend to have M worthy material. How can you write about SQ and not?! I just don't want you to know when its coming... Mwhahahahahaha!**


	14. One and Only - Adele

It had been two days since she had seen Emma. She wasn't purposely avoiding the woman, but she wasn't actively seeking her out either. She just wasn't ready to see her. Not yet. She knew that she would let Emma in. It was inevitable. The pull she felt towards Emma was too strong and the increasingly racy thoughts of her weren't helping anything. Regina had been trying to complete the finishing touches on all the paperwork for the festival when her phone rang.

"Mayor Mills" she answered.

"Madame Mayor, I am so sorry to bother you, but we seem to have a bit of a problem at the dance studio" Snow said in a rush.

"What is it?" Regina inquired slightly annoyed.

"Well, I was bring Ava to dance class like always. Well not really, I normally take her Thursdays, but she has a doctor's appointment. So since they have the recital coming up..." Snow was cut off by an irate Mayor.

"Get to the point, Snow!" Regina snapped.

"Uh. Right... Well they have an adult Zumba class on Wednesdays. Leroy heard about it and apparently saw the word 'adult' in a different context. I really don't feel comfortable giving details." Snow rushed out.

"Have you called the sheriff?" Regina asked, trying to remain patient.

"Yes. However, Graham had to make a trip to Portland... something about Chipotle, I don't know. But no one seems to have any idea where Deputy Swan is!" Snow was going to pass out if she continued.

"I'm on my way." Regina hung up the phone and sighed. When she arrived there were a lot of people standing around. Snow rushed to her side.

"Oh, thank goodness. He's in studio 4 and refuses to put his pants back on." Snow blushed at the thought.

Regina rolled her eyes and stalked into the building. She made her way through the crowd of adults and children all here for some type of dance activity. When she reached studio 4, she walked in and immediately noticed that there was no one there. The only thing that stood out was the single red rose in a tall thin vase and a card propped up against it. Her heart rate increased as she slowly approached the flower, picking up the card. She slowly opened the card and read the words inside.

_Regina_

_I saw you dance for the first time in this very room. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I hope to see you dance again someday. The moment I held you, I remember thinking that all I ever wanted to do was protect you and be there for you. Then you gave me my first kiss and to this day it was the most perfect moment in my life. (Well second, 1__st__ goes to having Henry) My point is, Regina that I want nothing more than to be surrounded by your beauty, to be the one to hold and protect you and to share many more perfect moments with you. I don't want to pressure you and I will wait as long as you need me to, but I will ask you to do one thing for me. Go over to the stereo and press play, then flip this card over._

_Emma_

_P.S. Don't cheat and flip the card too soon. I will know and you will pay... two words... water balloons... I'm just saying._

Regina smiled at the last part of the note. It took everything in her not to flip the card over. She looked around the room and saw that she was still alone. She then took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, and walked over to the stereo. She pressed play and the music filled the room. _One and Only_ by Adele... She loved this song. After listening to the first few lines of the song she remembered the card in her hand. She flipped it over and read the two words written down.

_Turn Around_

On instinct she looked behind her and there was Emma leaning in the door way, watching her. The first thing Regina noticed was the beautiful blonde curls falling down Emma's shoulders. Emma smiled and made her way to the middle of the room. She held out one hand and waited, hoping the brunette would take it. Regina never took her hand. Instead, when she approached Emma, her hands went directly into blond curls, bringing their foreheads together once again, breathing each other in. Emma's hands wrapped around her waist and they began to sway to the song. Regina closed her eyes. Guess she would be giving in a lot sooner than she had planned. When the music stopped, they stood there holding each other for a little while before Emma spoke.

"I don't want to be without you anymore" she whispered. Regina gasped, then leaned in and kissed the blonde. The kiss didn't last long before they heard clapping. They looked to the door to see a small group of people cheering for the two of them. The group was headed by Belle, Red and Snow, all with bright smiles on their faces. Emma chuckled when Regina tucked her head into her neck out of embarrassment.

And they lived Happily Ever After.

THE END


	15. Just Kidding!

Emma and Regina had been together, officially, for a week since that day. Things had been amazing. They had already fallen into a routine together. They would meet in the diner for breakfast every morning, then Emma would bring lunch to Regina at her office, and in the evening Belle would drop Henry off with Regina at the house, where Emma would meet them for dinner. There was only one thing that was driving them both crazy and neither one wanted to be the first to bring it up. Emma never stayed the night. Every night she would take Henry back to the Bed and Breakfast. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay the night with Regina, because she really did. Emma just didn't want to move too fast and push Regina too far. What she didn't know was that Regina was more than ready. She had lost Emma for 10 years and had absolutely no plans on letting her go. Plus, every moment she was around Emma, her desire to rip the blonde's clothes off got that much stronger. Regina had a plan. She just hoped that Emma would go for it.

Breakfast was going great. Emma and Regina sat on one side of the booth, while Belle sat on the other with Henry. Belle had truly been a godsend. She was great with Henry and was more than happy to watch him during the day till he started school. Regina was a little nervous about today, but she did a good job of hiding it. She held Emma's hand in her lap under the table as they both watched Henry try to teach Belle how to play Thumb War. Belle would lose on purpose, pretending like she just couldn't get the hang of the game.

"You'll get it Miss Belle. You just have to keep practicing." Henry encouraged.

"Well, I will make sure that I do, so that one day I can beat you, sir" Belle replied. "Are you ready to go, Henry? I got a new shipment of books in for the library and I hear one of the boxes may contain the new Pete the Cat books..." Belle hinted.

"Awesome! Can we go now?!" Henry asked excitedly.

"Why, of course." Belle smiled. They all stood from the table, getting ready to head their separate ways. "Bye Mommy, bye Gina!" Henry gave them each hugs and was on his way. The moment Henry was out of sight, Emma and Regina's lips came together in a sweet kiss. They were always more reserved in front of him. He had seen them hold hands and lay their heads in each others laps, but they saved the kissing for when they were alone.

"Mmm" Regina hummed as she pulled away from Emma, taking both of the other woman's hands in her own. "What do you say to lunch at the house today?" She asked her.

"I say... that I will have lunch with you anywhere" Emma replied before pecking her on the lips.

"Good. Same time." Regina stated, moving her arms around Emma's neck. Emma moved her hands to her girlfriend's waist.

"Same time" Emma replied with another peck.

"You guys are sickening" was all Red said as she passed the two lovebirds on her way to the kitchen.

"Jeeaalloouuss" Emma sung to the waitress's back.

"Damn straight!" Red called out as she turned the corner.

When lunchtime rolled around Emma headed straight for the Mansion. Regina had sent her a text earlier saying that she would make them something to eat. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and waited. Regina opened the door only moments later.

"Just in time." She grabbed Emma by the hand and guided her to the backyard.

"A picnic?" Emma asked with a smile.

"Yes, well I figured it was a beautiful day out... Why spend it inside? We could have gone to the park but, it would have felt weird without Henry, and this…" she gestured around the backyard, "…is much more private." She led Emma to the blanket she had prepared. They sat down together and Regina uncovered the plate of freshly made finger foods.

"Wow, this looks great, Gina." Emma was eyeing the different foods.

"Taste." Regina held a finger sandwich up to Emma's mouth.

"Mmmm..." Emma hummed in appreciation. "What did I do to deserve this?" Emma asked after swallowing her food.

"I may be trying to butter you up a bit" Regina smirked playfully.

"Ohhh, OK. Carry on then." Emma smiled.

Regina picked up a grape and fed it to the blond. They continued like this for a while. Feeding each other and stealing small kisses. Emma had picked up a strawberry and placed it between her teeth, daring Regina to bite it. Regina leaned in to bite it but once she was close enough, Emma let go of the fruit and passionately kissed the brunette. Regina moaned, not at all upset about Emma's little deception. As she deepened the kiss, Emma brought one hand to the back of Regina's neck. She raised up on her knees and gently lowered the older woman back onto the blanket. Emma settled down on top of her and they were lost in a haze of moans, roaming hands and soft whimpers.

Emma's hands got a bit friskier with each pass she made over Regina's body. When it didn't seem like she would be stopped, she slid her hand down Regina's thigh and back up, going underneath her skirt and squeezing her ass. Regina moaned, bringing her knee up and rolling her hip into the blond. Emma got even more daring, bringing her hand around to the brunette's silk covered center. She lightly rubbed circles over the lace, causing Regina to gasp and break away from the kiss. Emma began to kiss down Regina's neck. Regina wanted this so bad. She moaned even louder when she felt Emma slip her fingers inside of her panties, moaning when she felt how wet Regina was. Regina nearly cried out when she felt two fingers slide into her.

"Oh fuck... No..." She had to stop this. She reached her hand down and halted Emma's fingers.

"No?" whined Emma.

"Not yet." Regina was trying to slow her breathing. She pulled Emma's fingers out of her, bringing them to her lips. She closed her eyes and sucked the fingers clean.

"Did you really have to do that?" Emma whined again and flopped onto her back. Regina chuckled and rolled to her side and watched Emma.

"I wanted it, Em. It took everything in me to stop it. But I stopped, because I will not have our first time together, be outside in the backyard." She leaned in and kissed Emma. "Besides, right now, I want to show you something." She got up and offered Emma her hand. Emma took it and allowed Regina to guide her back into the house. She was led upstairs and thought that they would be headed to Regina's room. She was confused when Regina went the opposite direction. The stopped outside of a closed door and Emma eyed her girlfriend's nervousness.

"I wanted to show you this to make sure it was OK." Regina finally spoke.

"OK..." Emma was so confused.

Regina opened the door to let Emma step in. Emma saw the room and immediately gasped. The small room had blue and cream striped wallpaper, a twin size bed with colors matching the wallpaper, a bookshelf, a dresser, a desk, and matching vanity. Emma sat down on the bed and stared around the room in awe.

"Is it OK? Do you think Henry will like it?" Regina asked nervously.

"He'll love it." Emma answered after a moment. "But why?" Emma wasn't trying to be rude, she just genuinely couldn't believe Regina would do this for them.

"Part of the reason you came here, was to settle down and provide him with a stable home. He can have that here. This can be his home... and yours." She paused to gauge Emma's reaction. "It can be our home" she finished.

"I have a room too?" Emma asked in shock.

"No." Regina chuckled. "But I made room for you in my closet..." Regina finished.

"Oh no, no way!" Emma protested. "There is no way I can share a bed with you and not want to touch you"

"Well," Regina stalked over to Emma. She straddled Emma's thighs and sat in her lap. "When Henry is asleep," she kissed Emma's cheek, "you can touch me." She kissed the other cheek. "All you want." She connected their lips in a passionate kiss. Emma moaned and reached around to grab the other woman's ass. They slowly pulled apart.

"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked quietly.

"Yes. I have been alone for so long. You are my family now. You and Henry. And I want my family here, with me" Regina replied. Emma's smile rivaled the sun in that moment.

"I can't wait to show Henry." Emma exclaimed, holding Regina tightly.


	16. Sticks n' Stones (Redo)

**A/N OMG I am soooo sorry! I was having trouble uploading the chapter yesterday, so I thought I would just copy n paste it, but I didn't think to double check it after I did. So very sorry and thank you for pointing it out to me!**

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><p>Emma was so full of energy after her lunch with Regina that she decided to patrol on foot today, while Graham took the car out for the larger route. She had been by most of the back streets already and wanted to take a small break to grab a drink. She walked to the diner and was opening the door when her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled instantly.<p>

Regina: How about Henry and I meet you at the diner after work. We can have dinner, then grab your things and go home.

Home... Emma was awestruck that she was actually doing it. She was actually staying and it felt great.

Emma: Sounds good to me. 3

Emma walked to the counter, still smiling.

"I don't even have to ask what that smile is about." Red approach her at the counter. "I take it all is well on cloud nine?" Ruby already knew the answer.

"Everything is great. She is amazing and Henry adores her." Emma breathed out. "We're... moving in with her tonight." Emma announced cautiously.

"Oh my god! Em, that's great!" Red exclaimed.

"Really? I mean you don't think it's too soon? I mean I want to be with her like all the time. She and Hen are everything to me. I just don't want to feel like I'm pressuring her into this." Emma words rushed out.

"No way, girl. Anyone who knew you two 10 years ago, knew that you guys were meant to be together. It just wasn't meant to happen right then. You both had some living to do and now it's your time to do it together." Emma took a minute to take in what Red said.

"That was very profound" Emma replied.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good romance. Just wish I could have my own." Red shrugged.

"I take it our sheriff hasn't caught on yet?" Emma asked.

"Seems the Huntsman can't even catch the wolf, when it's lying down right in front of him." Red gave a frustrated sigh.

"That's because he isn't like that anymore. He hasn't caught you because he's not looking. Subtlety isn't going to be enough. You want my advice? Just ask him out." Emma didn't wait for Red's reply before giving her advice.

"OK. I'll give it a go." Red said more to herself than Emma.

"Good" Emma chuckled. "I have to get back to work. See ya later."

As soon as Emma walked out of the diner, her phone rang.

"Deputy Swan." she answered. There was a very panicky Belle on the other end. "Belle, I need you to slow down. What happened? He what? Shit. OK. I'm on my way." Emma hung up quickly and practically sprinted all the way to the hospital.

"Oh Emma, thank goodness! I am so sorry. He had never once attempted to cross the monkey bars alone, but today he wanted to and I told him to wait. I was going to spot him but he started before I got there and he slipped off the second bar. It all happened so fast and I am so sorry. I should have been watching him better..." Emma stopped her rant.

"Belle! It's OK." Emma calmed her. "He's an active 5 year old. Things like this are going to happen. The important thing is that you got him here. What did the doctor say?" She asked.

"Just that it could be a break. They gave him a sedative and took him back to x-ray." Bella answered worriedly.

"OK, so we wait." Emma breathed.

Emma waited with Belle for about 30 minutes, before Dr. Whale came out to greet them.

"Ms. Swan, I take it?" Whale inquired.

"Yes. How's Henry?" Emma got straight to the point.

"He's doing fine. He's been very brave. We have him on a strong sedative, bout as strong as we can go for his size." He answered.

"OK." She gave a sigh of relief. "So what's the damage?"

"Well, Henry has a supracondylar fracture." He stated.

"OK. Now again in English, please." Emma said calmly.

"He broke his elbow. Well just above it. We will need to perform a small surgery to set the bones and then we can apply a cast." He waited, giving Emma a chance to take it all in.

"Surgery?" she asked quietly, more for her own brain. Dr. Whale seemed to realize that and only gave a small nod. "Does he need it right away? I mean... can I see him?"

"We can wait, if you'd like. We have an opening around 6 o'clock. He'll be fine till then. Just very sleepy." He replied understandingly.

"Good. Six sounds good. Thank you." Emma nodded.

"No problem, Deputy. He's resting in room 5, I'll have the nurses' check on him hourly." Whale said before heading to the nurses' station.

Emma walked to Henry's room with Belle trailing behind her. Her heart broke when she caught site of her little man lying in the bed with IVs in his arm. She went to his bedside and stroked his hair, causing him to stir.

"Mommy?" he asked sleepily.

"Hey, baby. Got yourself into some mess, huh?" she asked softly.

"I broke my elbow" he yawned.

"I know, baby. The doctors will fix it up for you, OK?" She continued to stroke his hair.

"Is Miss Belle mad at me?" he asked. Belle made her way to his bed.

"No, Henry. I'm not mad. I'm just glad you're OK." Belle reassured him.

"OK." Henry said as he eyes began to drift shut once again. Emma watched him sleep for a moment before looking at Belle.

"You don't have to stay. If you have things to do, it's fine." She gave a small smile. Belle could tell she was very much the worried mother trying to keep it together. She opened her mouth to speak when Henry spoke again.

"Where's Gina?" he asked with his eyes still closed. Shit, she needed to call Regina.

"I'm going to call her right now, Hen." she answered and pulled out her phone. "Can you stay with him while I step outside for a sec?" she asked Belle.

"Of course" Belle replied easily. Emma walked out the door, bringing up Regina's number in the process. She hit the call button and waited.

"Hello, dear" Regina answered.

"Hey" Emma replied.

"Is everything OK?" Regina could sense the change in her girlfriend's voice.

"I'm at the hospital..." she was cutoff.

"What happened?! Are you OK?!" Regina was already grabbing her things to leave.

"It's not me. Henry had an accident." Emma paused. "He broke his arm or elbow."

"Oh god! How is he doing?" Regina asked. She was already getting in her car and starting the engine.

"He's pretty groggy, but OK. He asked for you. I know you're working, but..."

"I'm on my way, Emma. I'll be there soon." She cut Emma off before the blonde's insecurities took over.


	17. SpongeBob Squarepants!

It didn't take Regina long to get to the hospital. When she got off the elevator on the second floor, she saw Emma pacing back and forth in the hall.

"You're going to burn a hole in the ground." She approached the blonde. Emma gave a small smile. "How is he?" she asked softly.

"Sleeping." She hugged Regina and buried her face in brunette hair. "Thank you for coming." She spoke into her neck.

"Of course. Nothing is more important to me, than you two." Regina meant every word of it. Emma pulled Regina by the hand and led her into Henry's room. She sat down in the chair next to Henry's bed, while Regina walked up to the child and kissed his forehead. She pulled the blanket back gently to peak at his arm. It was wrapped in a splint, but she still see the misplacement of it. She sighed and covered the arm back up. She then turned to Emma.

"So what's next?" she asked.

"Surgery at 6. Then they can put the cast on." Emma replied. She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled the woman down into her lap. Regina leaned against her and ran her fingers through Emma's hair.

"I need to get back to the library. Will you please call me when his surgery is done?" Belle asked. She could see that Emma and Henry were in good hands and wanted to give the family time together.

"Yea. Thank you, Belle." Emma answered.

They sat there quietly for about 30 minutes, just providing each other comfort. Regina didn't show it, but she was having a mini panic attack on the inside. Nothing good ever came from her loved ones being rushed to the hospital. She knew it was a common break in children, but she still couldn't stop the worry. She needed to do something or find some kind of distraction.

"Are you hungry?" she asked Emma.

"Not really. You?" Emma returned the question.

"No. Maybe once he is out of surgery, I can go by Granny's. Grab us something to eat?" She wanted to help however she could.

"Actually, I don't have my car. Do you mind if we go together, while he is in surgery. I was thinking we could go ahead and grab our things, so we won't have to when they release him." Emma said cautiously.

"Anything you want is fine, dear. I think it is a good idea." Regina kissed Emma's forehead.

"Mommy..." Henry had woken up again, causing both women to spring to their feet and the sides of his bed.

"Hey, baby boy. How are you doing?" Emma asked softly.

"I'm thirsty" he replied while rubbing his eyes.

"I'll check with the nurse about getting him some water." Regina spoke to Emma, but her voice alerted the small boy to her presence on his other side.

"Gina! You came to see me?!" he asked excitedly. For a brief moment he seemed to forget his injury, but Regina was quick to react to the small whimper of pain. She had both hands guiding him back to a comfortable position on the pillows.

"Of course I came to see you, sweetheart. But you need to relax, OK?" Regina soothed.

"OK" Henry said. He seemed to be more alert than he was a couple hours ago. Emma made a mental note to keep an eye his pain.

"I'll go check on some water" Regina repeated.

"No." Henry had grabbed Regina's hand with his good one. "Can you stay? Please?" he finished. Regina looked from Henry to Emma, not quite sure how to answer his request.

"I'll go" Emma answered for her.

"Emma..." Regina called her worriedly.

"It's OK. I'll check on the water." Emma left the room. Regina sighed. She really didn't want it to seem like she was trying to take her place or get in the way of the mother/son relationship.

"When can we leave? I want to watch TV." Henry spoke up.

"Well, I'm not sure when we can leave. They still need to put the cast on your arm. But, there is a TV." Regina answered and grabbed the remote control from next to his bed. She turned on the TV and began to flip through the stations for something child appropriate.

"SpongeBob!" Henry called out when Regina tried to quickly turn the channel. She hated that idiotic yellow sponge. She sat the remote back down, unable to deny the boy. She noticed that Henry had yet to let go of her hand. The more time she spent with the boy, the more he felt like a son to her. For the past week, they spent two hours alone every day before Emma arrived home from work. She loved the time she spent with him. Emma walked back into the room holding a small cup.

"They said, with his surgery being in an hour, he could only have ice chips" Emma looked toward Henry apologetically. She brought the cup to his mouth and shook in a small piece of ice.

"Tank cou" Henry replied with the ice in his mouth.

"You're welcome baby." Emma leaned down and kissed his cheek. She looked up when she noticed the TV on. "Ooo, SpongeBob" she said as she sat down and stared at the cartoon.

"And now I see where he gets it from." Regina rolled her eyes playfully.

The small family made Regina endure three full episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants. She would never admit it, but she did see some of the adult humor in the show. However, mostly she found herself smiling at the mother and son. They both liked to repeat their favorite lines out loud with the characters. They were in the middle of howling with the Flying Dutchman when Dr. Whale entered with a couple of nurses.

"How are you hanging in there, Henry?" Dr. Whale asked the boy.

"Fine." Henry said.

"OK. What do you say we get this arm fixed up for you?" Whale spoke to the child, while taking notes on his pad.

"OK" Henry replied bravely.

Dr. Whale had pulled Emma to the side and went over the procedure he would be performing, while the nurse got Henry ready to go. Regina stood with Emma the entire time and held her hand. Once the nurses were finished prepping, they moved aside to allow Emma and Regina to see Henry.

"We will be right here when you come back, OK?" Emma reassured him.

"Both of you?" he asked.

"Both of us" Regina promised.

As they watched the nurses roll him away, they heard Dr. Whale ask Henry what his favorite color was. The boy had said blue. Emma and Regina waited for a few minutes before they took off to Granny's to take care of their things. Regina noticed that, even with a child, Emma didn't hold onto a lot of things. They ordered something light to eat, not knowing if Henry would even be allowed to eat what they brought him. Since there wasn't a lot to move, they decided to leave it in the car for now. They could take it in when they brought Henry home.

They returned to the hospital just in time. The nurses were rolling Henry back to his room. He was fast asleep with a royal blue cast on his arm. Dr. Whale spoke to the two women and informed them that everything went well. He said that Henry was lucky and there was no nerve damage present. He would be good to go home tomorrow afternoon. This was all a huge relief to the two mothers. The topic had never been brought up, but Regina felt very much like a mother in that moment and she couldn't have picked a more perfect son.


	18. Two Mommies

"So, kid... You ready to split this joint?" Emma asked, causing Henry to giggle at her silly Italian accent.

The night had gone very smoothly. They simply hung out together, watching whatever Henry wanted to on TV. They ate dinner. Regina insisted that Henry just have some soup to ensure the anesthesia wouldn't affect his stomach. Emma was once again surprised by how well Henry and Regina got along. Henry accepted the soup with no argument. While Henry napped, the two women would steal kisses, trying to refrain from going too far in case he woke up. They both stayed the night in his room. The night nurse offered to bring in a couple of beds, but they only saw a need for one. They both greatly enjoyed waking in each other's arms, even if it wasn't in the comfort of their home.

"Let's go, boss!" Henry replied happily. He wasn't old enough for 'The Godfather' so naturally he didn't know any mob talk. His replies normally included a giggle and the term 'boss' at the end of his sentence.

Once all the papers were signed, they made their way to Regina's car to head home.

"Mommy, where's your bug?" Henry noticed the lack of yellow.

"It's at the diner. I rode here with Gina." Emma replied. Henry accepted the response. He was a very observant child.

"Why is Budders here?" He asked next as he climbed into his booster seat. Budders, is Henry's longtime friend, and favorite teddy bear. Long story short, he had always loved Nutter Butters, so when Emma bought him the tan colored bear, Henry had named him Butters. However, at the time, he wasn't so great at pronouncing his Ts.

"Because, Gina has a surprise for you. I figured Budders would want to be there to see it too." She stole a glance at Regina when she answered.

"For me?!" What is it?!" Henry asked excitedly.

"If we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, sweetheart." Regina chuckled.

"Pleeaassee." he continued to plead.

"No, sir. We are not telling" Emma shook her head.

Henry continued to try to coax the secret out of the two women the entire trip home. When Regina pulled into the driveway, Henry finally took a moment to consider the best way to exit the vehicle. In his head, he had worked out stuffing his bear between his cast and his body while he opened the car door with his free hand. It would be a little hard, but he was determined. However, he didn't get a chance to set his plan of attack in motion, since Regina was already at his door and helping him out.

"Is this the surprise?! We get to spend the day with Gina?!" His previous excitement returning.

"Well, we are spending the day with Gina, but that's not exactly the surprise." Emma replied as they entered the house, Regina closing the door behind them.

"What is it? What is it?" He bounced on his toes.

"Should we show him now?" Emma turned to Regina.

"Hmm, I fear if we don't, he will continue to interrogate us until we do." Regina played along.

"What's integrate mean?" Henry asked curiously.

"Integrate, means to blends things together, but what I said was interrogate, which means to asks lots of questions. Now, would you like to see your surprise? Regina finished. Emma thought it was cute the way the brunette explained the words in a way Henry would better understand. Knowing Regina, she could have probably recited the dictionary verbatim.

"Yes!" Henry yelled.

Regina held out her hand for Henry and he quickly took it. They walked up the stairs with Emma trailing close behind them. It was almost like Regina could feel the excitement coming off of the boy in waves. It made her excited too. When they got to the door, Regina brought them to a halt and looked down at Henry. She asked him if he was ready and he nodded his head vigorously. When she opened the door, his eyes went wide.

"Is this all for me?" he asked in awe.

"Yes, Henry. Do you like it?" Regina asked.

"Best. Room. Ever!" Henry said as he walked into the room. Emma was happy that he was so excited about it, but she couldn't stop the pang of guilt she felt. It wasn't that she couldn't have given him these things. She made decent money as a bounty hunter. She just hadn't given him these things because of her own personal fear of settling down somewhere. That's why she came back. She was tired of the new apartments and semi-friends. She hoped that it would be the last move they made. She was pulled from her thoughts by Henry's next question.

"Are we gonna live here?" he asked.

"Yea, kid" she looked at Regina and smiled. "This is home."

"Yesss! We live with Gina! We live with Gina!" Henry began to sing. He had scrambled onto the bed and was now jumping happily.

"I'm sorry. I don't usually allow him to jump on the bed." Emma looked half happy and half apologetic.

"I'm afraid I may have to apologize as well... in advance." Regina was watching the boy with a smile.

"Why?" Emma asked.

"I can easily see myself becoming the parent who spoils him." Regina supplied.

Emma laughed. She could totally see that happening. It didn't take long for Henry to wear himself out exploring his new room. While he took a nap, Emma decided to run to the pharmacy and get his pain medicine while Regina got dinner ready. Regina was in the kitchen making lasagna when Henry woke up.

"Hello, sleepy head." Regina noticed the boy walk in.

"Hi" He said as he tried to sit on one of the stools at the counter. Regina walked over and lifted him up.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?" she inquired.

"Just a little bit" he replied honestly.

"Well your mom went to go get your medicine. It will be about time for you to take it when she gets back." She reassured him.

"OK." He looked at the counter. "What are you making?" he asked.

"I'm making lasagna."

"I love lasagna!" he replied happily.

"I'm glad. I was hoping you would like it."

"I like everything you make. You're like, the best chef ever." He smiled

"Thank you, Henry" Regina chuckled.

"We really get to live here now?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, sweetheart." She smiled as she layered the dish.

"This is so awesome. I love it here" Henry said.

"I love having you here." Regina countered.

"Do you and mommy have a crush on each other?" Henry asked like the question was nothing. Regina was completely caught off guard.

"Um, why do you ask, dear?" She avoided, not knowing how Emma would want to handle this conversation.

"You hold hands a lot and I saw you kiss at the hospital" he stated. Damn he was observant.

"Well... umm..." the normally put together Mayor was speechless.

"Mommy said that it's OK for two girls to like each other and for two boys to like each other." He said nonchalantly. "Our neighbor Bobby has two daddies. They're really nice" he finished.

"So, you would be OK with it? If your mother and I like each other?" She asked cautiously.

"It would be awesome! Then I can have _two_ mommies and mommies are way better than daddies." He put emphasis on the two to help explain the awesomeness of the situation. Regina laughed.

"Why are mommies better?" she questioned.

"They are nicer and they give better hugs. Some daddies are OK, but my daddy wasn't. He tried to take me away from mommy and he hurt her. But it was OK. She showed him her gun and made him leave." Henry told the brief story like it was an everyday thing.

Regina was in complete shock. She didn't know how to approach the conversation from here. It made her wonder what exactly happened, how bad Emma was hurt, and if she needed to start a hit list for the bastard that did it. She decided that it would be best to steer the conversation in another direction for now.

"Well, I will be sure to give you the best hugs every day." She smiled at the boy.

Emma came home shortly after dinner was ready. They sat down together at the table and enjoyed a delicious meal. It felt like everything they thought a family would feel like. Regina and Emma both seemed to find what they were missing. Henry kept the women entertained with all the exciting things he found in his room. He could not wait to hear the stories from all the books Regina had already added to his bookshelf. She had spoken to Belle when the idea hit her and found out what kind of stories he liked most. Henry made his mother promise to read him a story together before bed.

Once Henry was all settled for the night, teeth brushed, bath taken, story read, Emma and Regina retired to their bedroom. It wasn't their first time sharing a bed, but it was their first time sharing it alone and they were both full of nerves. Neither knew what to expect from the other. Emma was trying to be on her best behavior and let Regina dictate tonight's events. Little did she know, that fit perfectly with what Regina had in mind.


	19. Lazy Love - Ne-yo

Regina quietly closed the door behind them. She leaned against it and watched Emma walk slowly to the foot of the bed. Emma turned around to find her girlfriend staring at her intently.

"So, this is our room, huh?" Emma asked.

"It is." Regina answered.

Emma sat on the foot of the bed and laid back, moaning at how good it felt. Regina, unable to resist, walked over to Emma, adjusted her skirt and straddled the blonde. Emma moaned again when she felt the added weight, her hands automatically moving to Regina's thighs. Regina leaned down and kissed Emma softly.

"I have another surprise for you." Regina said. She then began kissing down Emma's chin

to her neck.

"Mmm... what is it?" Emma asked in a haze. She was already turned on.

"Don't move." Regina slid off her lap and walked over to her dresser to fiddle with her iPod. She then disappeared into the closet. When she returned, she was wearing a black silk robe.

"You remember what you wrote in the card for me, in the dance studio?" Regina asked as she walked back to her dresser.

"Umm... that I loved watching you dance, I always want to protect..." Emma stopped talking immediately when she heard the music start to play.

Regina walked over to Emma, stopping right in front of her. She undid the belt to her robe, opening it to reveal a black baby doll top that opened in the front with matching panties.

"Wow!" was all Emma could say as Regina began to sway her hips along to Ne-yo's Lazy Love. Emma leaned back on her elbows and watched her girlfriend dance seductively. Regina had rolled her hips, while she lowered herself to her knees. Still moving to the beat, Regina slide her hands up Emma's thighs and began to undo her pants. She danced her way back up and grabbed Emma's hand. She pulled her up and swatted her hands away when Emma began to pull her own pants. Regina dipped back down, taking Emma's jeans with her. She nipped the blondes thighs a few times on her way back up. She could already smell her girlfriend's arousal and it only spurred her on. When she was once again standing, she leaned back slightly and began rolling her hips into Emma.

Emma was once again in a trance. She never doubted that Regina had a beautiful body, but damn! Her imagination was nothing compared to the real thing. She quickly removed her shirt, allowing more skin to skin contact. Another sexy song began to play and Regina turned around and continued to sway her ass against Emma's front. Emma's hands went straight to Regina's waist. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they slid across the smooth stomach, up to Regina's breasts, giving a soft squeeze. Regina moaned at the touch and allowed Emma's hands to explore her body as she gyrated to the music. She reached her right hand up and around Emma's neck and leaned her left, allowing Emma to suck and nip at her neck.

Emma was so turned on by the movements and the sounds the brunette was making, that she didn't think twice before moving her hand down the front of Regina's panties. She slid one finger through the slick heat, lightly grazing her clit, causing Regina to gasp and jerk her hips forward. Emma continued to move back and forth between Regina's folds, causing her to change the rhythm in her hips to match Emma's fingers. Regina had planned on putting on more of a show, but she was way too turned on to stop Emma this time. She decided to just lose herself in how good it felt.

Regina cried out and gripped Emma's neck harder when she felt two fingers slide into her. Emma's pace increased slightly and Regina could feel her knees getting weak. Emma noticed this too and turned them to face the bed. She moved toward the bed and Regina caught the hint and crawled onto the bed on her knees. Emma was still inside Regina. She didn't want to change anything about this position. Her current view of the older woman was so sexy and she wanted to see her climax that way. When they were close to the center of the bed, Emma resumed her movements, pumping in and out of Regina harder. Regina was grateful for the change, being able to put her weight on Emma as her body lost control.

"Oh fuck, Emma. Please don't stop" she pleaded. She could feel herself about to explode. She moved her left hand on top of Emma's on her breast, moving her hips with more purpose.

Emma moaned at the sound of Regina's lust filled voice and could feel her fingers being clenched. She knew Regina was close, so she used her thumb to rub circles against her clit.

"Mmm... Come for me, baby. Just let go." Regina whimpered at Emma's words. A few thrusts more and Regina was cumming hard. She screamed Emma's name along with many expletives as she rode out her orgasm.

"Mmmm. Fuck that felt so good." She moaned as her head lolled back onto Emma's shoulder.

"You are so fucken sexy, Gina." Emma was still moving inside her. It felt so good and she wasn't ready to pull out just yet.

"Keep that up and you're going to make me cum again" Regina moaned, enjoying the feeling of Emma moving slowly inside her.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Emma asked. Before Regina could respond, there was a soft knock on the door, bringing Emma's hand to a halt.

"Mommy?" came the small voice from the other side.

"Shit" Emma whispered to herself. "Sorry." She slid her fingers out gently. Emma loved Henry with all her heart, but seriously?

"It's alright. Here." Regina handed her the robe and then went to turn off the iPod. She then slid into bed and Emma answered the door.

"Hey, bud. What are you doing up?" Emma asked.

"Scared. Can I sleep with you?" he asked quietly. Regina's heart melted at the plea and spoke for Emma.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." She lifted the covers for him to jump in. Emma sighed and smiled at the sight. She went over to one of her boxes to grab a t-shirt. After putting it on she slid into bed with her family.

"Good night, mommies." He turned and curled into Regina's side.

"Good night, Henry" both women replied almost simultaneously.

Emma, however, could not sleep. She was sexually frustrated beyond belief. She swore if she were a man her balls would be seriously blue right now. She figured tomorrow night would be round two. She had been lost in her thoughts for about 45 minutes. Just as she was officially resigning to the fact that she was not getting off tonight, she felt the other end of the bed dip slightly. She turned her head to see Regina sliding carefully out of bed. She made her way over to Emma's side and held out her hand. Emma was confused but took her hand anyway and slid out of bed. Regina guided her out of the room and into the bathroom across the hall.

"Why are we...?" Emma's question was cut off by a searing kiss. And with that Regina had Emma against the door with her panties at her feet. Regina broke away from the kiss. Biting her lower lip she lowered herself to her knees. She lifted Emma's leg onto her shoulder and went in with no warning. Emma's head flew back as soon as she felt Regina's tongue exploring her folds. She placed her hands on Regina's head and began to grind against the brunette. Regina moaned at the change in the blonde. Her mouth opened in a silent scream when Regina went straight to three fingers. Emma knew she was not going to last long.

"Fuck" Emma whispered, as she arched her back, pushing her center further into Regina's face. Her body began to shake as she climaxed. She felt her legs get weak, but Regina was supporting her weight. She licked Emma clean, while she came down from her high. When she was finished she grabbed the discarded panties and helped Emma back into them, standing as she slid them up the blonde's legs.

"Sorry. I just could not go to sleep without doing that first" Regina finished with another passionate kiss.

"You will never hear me complain about that." The two chuckled quietly. After one more kiss Regina took a step back.

"Let's get back to Henry" she said and she let Emma lead the way back to bed.


	20. Assistant Mayor

Their first weekend living together had gone smoothly. They mostly spent time huddled up on the couch, with Henry squeezed between the two of them, watching cartoons. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of SpongeBob on. Although Fairly OddParents wasn't proving to be any better. It was now Monday morning and Regina was working from home. She had sat down with Emma the night before to insist that she stayed with Henry for the week to help him adjust to all the recent changes before returning to Belle's care. A broken arm, a new home, and a new parent was a lot to take in for a small child. Emma had easily agreed to the idea. She wished that she could stay home with him, but she hadn't been on the job long enough to up and disappear for a week. At least not when she didn't have to.

Henry, for the most part, was loving every minute. His mother and Regina waited on him hand and foot. He didn't use it to his advantage much though, often only using the broken arm to score sympathy ice cream. Regina doted on him the most and Emma wasn't surprised by this. This was Regina's first real experience as a mother and she definitely wasn't trained to resist those adorable brown eyes.

They had just finished having breakfast and Emma helped Regina carry the dishes into the kitchen. Henry took off for the living room to watch TV. Emma approached Regina from behind, sliding her hands around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"This weekend has been amazing. I don't want to go work." Emma gave Regina a soft squeeze.

"I know, dear. But, you will be here for lunch and every evening after work." Regina smiled as Emma nuzzled into her neck.

"I'm sorry we didn't get much time alone..." she kissed Regina's neck softly.

"Don't be. I love Henry and I love having him here. I only wish I could have been there from the beginning. We will have plenty of chances to be intimate, but Henry will only grow up once" she replied.

"How are you so perfect?" Emma inquired. She slid her hands under the older woman's top.

"I am far from perfect, darling" Regina chuckled.

"Well, you're perfect for me and we have a chance right now..." Emma peppered more kisses to Regina's neck as her hand slid below the waist of her pants.

"Emma... Henry..."

"Is in the living room watching cartoons..." Emma's hand slid further into the brunette's panties, her fingers gently brushing across her clit, causing Regina to gasp.

"You... you will be... late for work." Regina had already begun to pant when Emma first began stroking her up and down. Her hands were now gripping the counter, bracing herself.

"Maybe, but a chance to see you come undone again is definitely worth the risk." Regina whimpered at her lover's words.

Regina moaned quietly when she felt her girlfriend slide two fingers into her. She knew they probably shouldn't be doing this but she couldn't bring herself to stop it. Emma seemed to know exactly how to get her going.

"Remember when I accidentally walked in on you in the shower?" Emma whispered in her ear causing another soft moan. She was thrusting into Regina slow and deep, as she continued to whisper.

"When you opened the shower door to speak to me? The way you looked, standing there dripping wet..." Regina moaned again. "I just wanted to pin you to the shower wall and take you right then." Regina gasped as she felt her climax building. Who knew Emma talking dirty would be this hot?

"Mmm... I could spend a lifetime pleasing you... watching you cum for me...the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Emma nipped Regina's shoulder and a few seconds later the brunette was coming undone. She hunched slightly over the sink, her mouth opening in a silent cry. When she finally relaxed, Emma pulled out her fingers and brought them to Regina's lips. She moaned as the older women licked her fingers clean.

"So fucking sexy" Emma whispered in her ear. "And only 5 minutes late." she added in a more spirited tone. "I'll see you at lunch, babe" and with a soft slap on Regina's ass and a farewell to Henry, Emma was out the door. Regina stood at the kitchen sink a few moments longer, still unable to believe that just happened. Once she was back to her normal composed self, she went to check on Henry.

"So, Henry. What do you say to me working half a day, then when you come home from lunch, we can do whatever you want to do?" She smiled at the boy.

"You mean I get to stay with you today?!" Henry asked excitedly. The original plan had been for Belle to pick him up for the day, but his mothers had not informed him of the change.

"Uh huh" she nodded the affirmative.

"Awesome! Where am I going for lunch?" The rest of her statement had caught up to him.

"Well, Belle offered to take you for a picnic in the park. You won't be able to run around like normal, but it will be good to get some fresh air" Regina explained.

"Cool. Can I keep watching cartoons?" he asked with huge brown eyes.

"Of course, sweetheart" Regina chuckled. "Later we can talk about things you like to do. Maybe we could go out and get some toys and games. Give you more choices than just the TV" she finished with a smile.

"Really?!" This had Henry practically jumping out of his seat.

"Mmm hmm. Just let me be the one to tell your mother." She tapped him on the nose, making the five year old giggle.

"Okay, Gina." Henry had taken to calling the two women 'mommies' when they were together, but continued to use 'Gina' when it was just the brunette he was talking to.

"You know where my office is. Let me know if you need anything. I'll come check on you in a bit." Regina stood up to head to her office.

"Okay" Henry happily replied, already tuning back to the current cartoon.

The morning had gone perfectly. Henry was happy watching his cartoons, then fell asleep for about an hour. When he woke up, Regina gave him his medicine and he sat with her in her office for a bit. He asked questions about nearly everything she did. She surprised herself with how patient she remained during the entire enquiry. She mainly just had a ton of paperwork to get through, so it was nothing to answer his questions while she signed page after page.

"You're right. This is boring." Henry slid out of her lap and started looking at the different items decorating her office. Regina chuckled.

"I admit the paperwork can be quite tedious, but not everything about being Mayor is boring. Sometimes it can be very rewarding" she explained to the child.

"You don't even get to play games" he stressed.

"Well, no. Not during work hours at least" she chuckled. "Good thing I have you to keep me company." She smiled as she straightened a stack of papers.

"Can I help you?" Henry asked with the brightest smile. Regina thought for a second.

"You know, I have been in need of an assistant. Would you like to be my Assistant Mayor?" She set down her papers and faced the excited boy.

"Yea! What do I do? What do I do?" He was bouncing on his toes.

"Well, it is going to be a lot of work. You will have to be in charge of decorating my office with original artwork. I would like to have an entire collection handmade by the Henry Swan himself. He is simply an artistic genius." The boy gave a wide smile and continued to listen. "And of course, I may need you to relay orders for me, when I'm too busy to do it myself."

"What's relay mean?" he asked.

"It means to pass along a message. Like if I were to ask you to call my secretary and tell her I need her to bring me the super-secret stapler right away." Regina explained with a faux serious expression.

"I get to tell people what to do?!" Henry was loving every moment of this.

"Yes, but...only when I tell you to. Okay?" Henry nodded eagerly. Last thing she needed was a 5 year old running around trying to tell an entire town what to do. There would probably be bouncy houses on every corner and Nickelodeon on every TV. She shook herself from her thoughts. "So, would you like to give it a try?"

"Yea!" he replied quickly.

"Okay. You are going to call my secretary and tell her to bring the super...secret...stapler right away." She said the tongue twisted words slowly. She picked up the phone receiver and handed it to the tiny brown haired boy. "Ready?" she asked. When he nodded his head enthusiastically, she pressed the speed dial labeled 'Office'. Henry's eyes went comically wide when he heard the phone ringing. While he waited patiently for the secretary to pick up, Regina quickly sent said secretary a short email explaining what was happening and asked her to play along.

"_Mayor's office, Elizabeth speaking."_

"Hi Elizabeth, Ah-sis-tint Mayor Henry Swan speaking." Regina tried not to giggle at how adorable he sounded trying to be official. "Gina needs you to bring the...super...secret...stapler" he said slowly as Regina whispered it to him to help him out "Right away... like yesterday." Regina was shocked and amused at the phrase he mostly picked up from his blonde mother.

"_Of course, Assistant Mayor. Right away, sir."_

"Thanks, bye!" Henry hung up the phone and smiled at Regina the biggest smile. Regina simply laughed and pulled him in for a small hug. It only took about 10 minutes for Elizabeth to arrive with the stapler. She handed it over to Regina with a smile and a wink towards Henry, then headed back to the office.

"Okay Henry. This is your other part of the job and it is very important." Henry listened intently. "You are in charge on this super-secret stapler. What many people don't know, is that this is a magic stapler. You only have to slide your papers in the opening just there, and bam! the papers are stapled."

"Really? Can I try?!" an excited Henry asked. Regina handed him a small stack of papers and he gave it a go. "Whoa!" The small boy was enthralled.

"Want to do the rest for me?" she asked him.

"Yes!" She chuckled and handed him the rest of the presorted papers.

The papers were all stapled in no time and Henry had spent a good 30 minutes stapling random papers from Regina's small recycling bin. She couldn't help but laugh to herself about how thrilled he was over this stapler. So she allowed the random stapling's to continue for as long as she could stand, before telling him he needed to allow the stapler to recharge its magic. Now Henry was quickly working on a new, very colorful picture for her private collection. She was lost in her thoughts for a moment as she watched him color. She had had a wonderful morning with a wonderful boy, her son. It was so easy to consider him her son. She looked at her watch and saw that they had about another 20 minutes until lunch time. She had planned to have an important and most likely uncomfortable conversation with Emma at lunch. Hopefully things would go well.


	21. Never Let You Go

"So how was your morning?" Emma asked as she began to fill the pot of boiling water with noodles. They had decided to keep lunch simple and since Regina already had some homemade sauced stored away, spaghetti sounded like a delicious option. Emma had readily agreed under the condition that they got to act out the scene from Lady and the Tramp.

"It was very entertaining. Henry has quite the imagination." Regina smiled and took a sip of her water.

"That he does" Emma chuckled. "Nothing too crazy I hope."

"No. I have a feeling that today was only a sample of the things he can come up with" Regina replied causing Emma to snort.

"You have no idea. You were lucky today. A few months ago, Henry would run around pretending to be a superhero. His power? Farting gave him super speed." Emma grimaced at the memory.

"Oh my god, he did not!" Regina couldn't decide if it was more disgusting or hilarious.

"Yes, he did! Thankfully it was just him making the noises and not actual flatulence" Emma finished.

"Wow..." The brunette was shaking her head.

"I told him he's got a few more months before things like that are no longer okay. I can only imagine the kinds of things he will start picking up from other six year olds in Kindergarten." Emma laughed lightly.

"He is turning six in a few months?" Regina had never thought to ask when his birthday was.

"Yep. January 17th" the blonde answered.

"So... Since this will be my first time celebrating with him..." Regina already had about ten ideas flying through her head. Emma sensed this and glared at her girlfriend suspiciously.

"Yes, you can spoil him." Emma caved in with a sigh. "But only this once! I don't want the kid on some reality show about how his mother's give him everything." Emma had drained the noodles and fixed two plates.

"Of course, darling." Regina waved off Emma's comment with a playful eye roll. She scooped the sauce on to each plate, adding a sprinkle of cheese for Emma. They each grabbed their plates and headed to the dining room to enjoy their lunch. They continued to talk about random things; their day, their jobs and a little bit of storytelling. Regina knew she needed to broach the subject soon, but she waited until they had completed their meals and were now seated on the couch together.

"I love spending my lunches with you." Emma curled into Regina. She sat next to the older woman with her legs in her lap.

"And I you." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments longer before Regina found her nerve.

"Emma, darling. There's something I wanted to talk you about." She spoke confidently despite the butterflies.

"Okay..." Emma eyed the brunette curiously. "What is it?"

"Henry's father..." She paused to give Emma a chance to respond. She noticed the way the blonde's body tensed. Emma slid her legs from Regina's lap and faced forward on the couch, staring into her lap.

"Um... There's not much to say. He's not around anymore. Why?" Emma's look had gone from curious to suspicious and defensive.

"Emma, I know that we have just found each other again and we have... forever to learn each other's secrets. And I truly hope that one day you will find that you can trust me with any and all of your secrets. Nothing you tell me could ever change the way I feel about you..." She turned so that she could better face the blonde. "I would never pressure you to reveal your past to me, but I do have a reason for asking this time." She paused.

"What would make you ask about him?" Emma asked again. She didn't know whether to be upset or scared.

"Henry..." Emma looked at Regina and the confusion on her face prompted the older woman to continue. "The other day, when you left to get his prescription, Henry said something that caused great concern. I didn't bring it up sooner because it was obviously a part of your past and I didn't want to have this discussion with Henry around" she finished.

"Henry barely knows his father. What did he say?" Emma asked.

"He told me that his daddy was a bad man... but that everything was okay, because you showed him your gun and made him leave." Regina replied cautiously. Emma's hand flew immediately to her mouth covering a gasp. Regina could clearly see the water in the young mother's eyes. "I know this was not the way you wanted to talk about this..." Regina paused when she saw Emma shaking her head, with a single tear falling down her cheek.

"He was supposed to stay in his room..." choked out. "He was supposed to stay in his room." Emma stood up and walked across the room. She took deep breaths trying to steady herself. Henry wasn't supposed to see anything that night. When she had heard the banging on the door, she had told the boy to go to his room and lock his door. Regina didn't know what to say. She didn't want to push Emma to say more than she wanted, but she wanted to be there for her girlfriend. She wanted to be able to comfort her and tell her things would be okay, but it was hard when she had no clue what had happened to her love.

"Emma..." Regina stood and slowly approached the blonde, willing to do whatever she could. Emma turned to face her with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I can't... I can't talk about this right now... please." Emma begged. She wasn't ready to relive that part of her life. It hadn't been very long since she had gotten away from the man and she didn't want him back in her life. Not even in thought, but the idea of Henry seeing even a glimpse of their final altercation had made her heart stop.

"Okay. It's okay, sweetheart. We don't have to talk about it right now." Regina had wrapped her arms around her lover trying to do anything to soothe her. Regina was trying to be strong for her family, but deep down she was worried and scared. What could have happened to her swan and their baby boy that would bring the blonde to tears?

Emma had practically fallen into the brunette's arms. Her mind flashed back to that day, when he had tried to confront her about her decision to keep Henry away from him. That day he attempted to make good on his threats to take their son by force. She had managed to keep Henry a secret for three years, before he found out. She went to prison for the man, only to find out that he hadn't changed his life. He had actually fallen further and didn't even wait for her. How could she tell him about or even trust him with their son? Emma was a total mess of emotions. She backed herself out of Regina's touch and into a wall, slowly sliding down to the floor.

She couldn't breathe. Regina approached again, slowly lowering herself to her knees to embrace her. Emma just needed to ground herself, to remind herself that they got away, they were okay.

"Emma, darling. I am so sorry. I would have never handled it like this if I had known..." She placed one hand on Emma's knee and the other was combing through her blonde curls. "What can I do, Em? What do you need?"

Regina was ready to do anything to help Emma. She had no idea that the situation with Henry's father was so traumatic. She figured that worst case, Emma would be mad at her for asking such a question. She simply wanted to suggest that Henry have a few sessions with the town's psychologist. It was only to be sure Henry was really okay with what he had seen. Now she was thinking she might need to suggest that Emma speak to Dr. Hopper as well. That, however, was definitely a conversation for later.

Regina gave Emma a moment to respond. She was completely taken off guard when Emma surged forward and attacked her lips. She could feel the need and desperation in the kiss. She kissed her back gently, allowing Emma to take what she needed. Emma placed her hands on the sides of Regina's head, trying to deepen the kiss. She had the one thing she needed to keep herself grounded. She had Regina and this beautiful brunette was the calm in her storm.

"I only need you... Just you" Emma said between kisses. She quickly began to unbutton Regina's shirt, then just as quickly stripped off her own and dove back into the kiss.

The entire interaction was very urgent. Regina wasn't quite sure how far Emma had planned to take this, but she allowed it to continue. The blonde had made quick work of their clothes, opting to only bunch Regina's skirt around her waist and remove her underwear. The whole time they never stopped kissing. Next thing Regina knew she was being pushed back quickly, but gently. Emma lay atop her and just continued to kiss her. The older woman immediately noticed the change in her girlfriend's pace.

Emma's kisses went from reckless and needy to passionate and loving. They lay there, skin to skin, just kissing for what felt like an eternity. She knew Emma just needed to feel their connection and she was more than happy to appease her need. She wanted Emma to feel safe with her and she would have laid there kissing Emma all night, if it weren't for Henry being due back soon.

For a moment it seemed like kissing was all they were going to do, but then Emma pulled away slightly and stared into brown eyes. Regina looked back at her and lifted her hand to stroke a pale cheek. Emma slid her right hand down Regina's bare thigh, gripping underneath it. She lifted the leg and sat up to move her right leg underneath the brunette's left. Regina caught on easily and propped herself up on her arms, moving her right leg beneath Emma's left.

Emma ran her hands up the smooth tan stomach before bring them back down and gently gripping soft hips. She pulled Regina towards her, bringing their centers together. Regina gasped and began moving her hips along to Emma's pace.

Something about this moment felt so intense. Neither woman could put their finger on why, but they continued to move together. Regina whimpered softly, feeling the pressure build up inside her. The stress in her arms was becoming too much and she moved up to wrap one arm around Emma's back and the other around her neck, pulling the blonde back in for a kiss.

Their breathing became shallower and their movements more erratic as they both approached their peaks. Regina was the first to crash. She broke from the kiss with a strangled gasp, biting into Emma's left shoulder to muffle her cry. This sent Emma stumbling after her only moments later. She held on tight and whimpered into Regina's hair as her release took her over.

They stayed there for a moment, just holding each other as their breathing settled. When Regina went to untangle herself, she felt Emma's grip tighten around her waist.

"Can we just... Can we just stay like this?" Emma whispered.

"I would love to... but Henry will be back any moment." Regina said softly.

"I don't want you to let me go." Emma shook her head.

"Okay. Okay, I've got you. I won't let you go" she reassured the blonde.

Regina reached behind her to grab her phone from the coffee table. She sent out a quick message to Belle asking her to keep Henry for the afternoon. Belle was more than happy to. She then sent a text to Graham, letting him know that Emma wasn't feeling well and would not be returning after lunch. Once that was settled, she wrapped her free arm back around Emma and just continued to hold her.

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><p><strong>AN Just a side note. I have loosely based this 5 yr old Henry after my daughter (who is now 6). The story about farting super powers... yea, that was my little princess. I just wanted to add some of the hilariously crazy things that little kids do.**


	22. She Will be Loved

**A/N HI! I wasn't too sure about this chapter and I put more thought into it than the others, so I am eager to hear what you all think. Reviews make me smile =)**

*****Trigger Warning**** talk of non-consensual activity...**

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><p>"He wasn't always a bad guy." Emma spoke softly.<p>

They had been sitting quietly in each other arms for a little while now. Regina really wasn't sure how much time had gone by. This was the first time either of the women had spoken. She gently stroked Emma's back to let the blonde know that she was there, she was listening and it was okay. Even if Emma couldn't find it in her to say anything else, she wanted her girlfriend to know it was okay.

"He saved me. When I was 15, I was placed in a foster home in New Jersey. The couple seemed nice enough. They had two children of their own and their son was a few years older than me. Neal was friends with him." Emma paused for a moment and Regina continued to rub soothing circles on her back.

"That's Henry's father... Neal. He would come over to hang out with John sometimes. He would always smile when he saw me. Things were going good at that home. I thought maybe I could ride this one out until I could be on my own. But, one night I was there by myself. My foster parents went out on a date night since their daughter was at a sleepover. They trusted me to stay by myself. Not many people have trusted me."

Regina could tell that this was difficult for Emma to talk about. She really wanted to know what happened, but she wasn't about to push it. She just remained quiet and allowed Emma to gather her thoughts.

"I was working on my homework in the dining room, when John came home with some of his friends. I could tell they had all been drinking. I didn't pay them any mind. It wasn't the first time John had come home drunk. I could hear them talking and laughing in the living room. Then John came into the dining room, probably heading for his parent's liquor cabinet. When he saw me, he stopped and we started talking. It seemed fine, until he started flirting. He put his hand on my thigh and asked if I wanted to have some drinks with him and his friends. I said no, but when I got up to leave he... he grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall." She took a deep breath.

"I kept trying to push him away. Kept telling him to let go of me. He had an arm around my neck and was trying to unbutton my pants, when Neal walked in. He pushed John off me. He saved me from that... Only... only to turn around and do the same thing two years later." Emma stopped. Regina had only a few seconds of relief before her blood was boiling again. Neal was definitely on her hit list. She silently swore to herself, that if she ever met the man, she would make his life a living hell.

"He stayed with me that night, after he stopped John. He stayed with me until my foster parents came home. Nobody ever spoke about what happened, but after two weeks of living in that home with him watching me like he was biding his time, I couldn't take it. I left... Ran away. I needed a place to stay or something, so I attempted to steal a car. I just needed something to keep me dry and get me away from that place. Turns out, as crazy as it seems, the car I tried to steal was Neal's. He had stolen it before I did." She gave a light chuckle at the memory.

"I told him what I was doing and he said he would help me. Apparently he had been without his parents for years. He was also a runaway. After that we were inseparable. For two years he took care of me, looked out for me and I looked out for him." She paused and allowed a tear to fall from her eye. She pulled back slightly from Regina's embrace, only enough to allow her to rest her head on the brunette's shoulder. She remained silent for a few more minutes and Regina began to think that that was all she was going to get for now and she was okay with that. But Emma surprised her when she began to speak again.

"After about a year, we had begun to see each other as more than friends. Sometimes we would spend the evening just making out. It never went too far, because I wasn't ready. Something in me just couldn't take that step. Not yet. One day we went out for... supplies, I guess. We often shop-lifted just to get by. He had scored a bottle of bourbon. Cheap stuff, but it did the trick. We drank nearly the entire bottle. It was the first time I ever got drunk. We celebrated everything... and nothing." As Emma spoke she drifted off to another place. Physically she was there in Regina's arms, but her mind was 1000 miles away.

"Things were great until... until he kissed me... It was like every other time we kissed and I kissed him back. But it was different this time. It was different, because he didn't stop..." Regina's heart clenched. At that moment she regretted every choice she had made in her past. She never should have pushed Emma away. They were too young to be together like they are now, but she should have been there and Emma could have been safe.

"He..."

"Don't." Regina was quick to stop her from continuing. "I do not want you to relive that night for me." She stroked her fingers through soft blonde curls. The silence came again as Emma tried to block that part out of her mind once again.

"I stayed with him, even after... we were drunk... I was drunk. Staying with him was still a better life, than the system. So I stayed. After that it was nothing to give myself to him. And it got better until he started hanging out with the wrong guys. I didn't think we should risk moving past petty crimes, but he was convinced that we could make enough money to leave New York... that we could move to somewhere new and start over and be happy. I wanted to be happy, so I helped him. It was working. We almost had enough to start over. Then I got caught with over 100 grand in stolen watches. I was waiting for him and he never showed." Emma finally let her tears go, but she tried to control herself long enough to finish her story. She wanted, needed Regina to know. Regina let go a tear of her own as Emma fought to continue.

"I spent a year in jail. Alone. I was in jail when I found out I was pregnant... and I had him alone..."

"Emma, I am so sor..."

"No... You have nothing to be sorry for... I made my own choices and I would live through them again, if that's what it took to bring Henry into my life. They let me keep him." Emma lifted her head to look Regina in the eyes. She still had tears flowing down her cheeks, but she managed to smile at the thought of her son.

"He only had to stay in foster care for 3 months and they gave him back to me. He was my new start. I swore I would never go back to Neal or to that life and I didn't. I moved to Boston and I raised my son the best I could." She took a deep breath. "When Henry was three, he found us. Neal hadn't changed. He had only gotten worse. He was stealing and drinking and possibly into drugs. I wasn't positive and I didn't care. I didn't want Henry to know that life." Regina cupped Emma's cheek understandingly and gently stroked her with her thumb.

"I tried to give him a chance to know Henry at first, but then I found out what he was into and wouldn't let him near my son. That's when his threats started." Regina gently wiped the tears from Emma's cheek. I was scared. I tried to move, but he found out before we even got the chance. He said he would only find us again... He said he would take Henry away from me if I ever tried to leave. When Graham first told me about the job here, I wanted to come then, but I was so scared. It took me months to even consider it."

"Then I found out that you were here, and it felt right. Somehow I knew that we would be okay here. I was still scared out of my mind, though. I didn't know what would happen if Neal found out that we were leaving. Of course he found out. I don't know how. I did everything in my power to keep things quiet... but he found out and came to our apartment." She remembered everything clearly.

_Emma was awoken from her sleep by a loud banging on her door. She looked at her clock and was wondering who the hell would be coming here at one o'clock in the morning. Her first instinct was Henry being hurt, but she knew he was tucked away safely in bed. She got up when she realized the banging wasn't going to stop. She grabbed her robe and covered up her Hello Kitty pajamas that Henry had picked out for her. As she stepped out of her room, she was stopped dead in her tracks._

"_Emma, open the fucken door!" His voice hit her like a bucket of water to the face. She was immediately awake and alert._

"_Mommy..." She heard the voice of her sleepy child and quickly turned to him._

"_Hey bud, what are you doing out of bed?" She asked him sweetly and began to walk him back to his bed._

"_There was a loud noise. It waked me." The boy yawned._

"_No worries, baby. Mommy will take care of it. You go back to sleep and don't come back out of your room, okay? I want you to stay here until I come back to check on you." She told the boy. The banging came again._

"_What is it, Mommy?" Henry asked._

"_It's nothing, I'll take care of it. You just stay here." Emma got up to leave and heard the soft 'okay' from her son._

_She approached the door slowly and took a deep breath. She opened the door, leaving the chain lock attached._

"_It's one o'clock in the morning, Neal. What do you want?" She tried to remain calm._

"_Let me in" was his only reply._

"_No. Henry is asleep. What do you want?" she asked again._

"_I heard you're leaving town. I came to get my son. Figured I'd save you the trip." There was no kindness in his voice._

"_I don't know what..."_

"_Don't fucken bullshit me, Emma!" he yelled and banged the door again. Emma flinched slightly at the tone of his voice._

"_Can we just talk about this tomorrow, please?" She asked. She just wanted him to go away._

"_Why, huh? So you can take off in the middle of the night with my kid?" he growled. "Open the fucken door!"_

"_Neal, please. I don't know what you've heard. I'm not taking Henry anywhere" she lied._

"_You're gonna stand there and lie to my fucken face?!" he snapped. "Open the goddamn door!" he growled again and this time he slammed his shoulder into the door, breaking the chain lock and knocking Emma to the ground._

"_What the fuck, Neal!" Emma yelled as he towered over her. He quickly dropped to the ground and straddled her, pinning her arms above her head. She bucked her hips trying to get him off of her._

"_Get the fuck off of me!" she yelled. Neal brought his head closer to hers._

"_Why do you keep fighting me, Em? We could be a family now, but you keep playing your stupid little games, thinking you can get away from me." The venom still in his voice._

"_You will never, get me back and you will stay the fuck away from my son." Emma whispered as fiercely as she could in her frightened state._

"_Really? Maybe I should just remind you of the things I can do for you." He stared down into her fear filled eyes._

"_No! Neal, stop! Get off me!" she screamed._

"_Let's take this to the bedroom, shall we. Wouldn't want Henry learning where babies come from just yet." Neal had yanked her to her feet and all but dragged her to her room. She fought the entire way but still ended pinned to the bed with him on top of her._

"_Neal, please. Don't..."she begged, still trying to fight him off._

"_What's wrong, Em? Scared you'll like it too much. I remember when you couldn't get enough of me." He used one hand to hold her left arm down, his other hand beginning to open her robe._

_Emma took this moment to reach her right hand under her pillow, grabbing a hold of the gun she kept hidden there._

"_I said, stop..." The click from the gun caused Neal to stop dead in his tracks. He looked up to see the barrel of her gun pointing right at his head. He slowly removed his hand from her waist, looking past the gun, into green eyes._

"_So you're just gonna shoot me?" he asked. She could her the challenge in his voice._

"_I swear to god, I will if you make me." She refused to back down. "Now get the fuck out of my house" she finished with her finger remaining on the trigger._

_To her surprise, Neal complied without a fight. He backed away, never taking his eyes off her. Then he turned and headed for the door. She followed him the entire way, never lowering her gun. He turned to her when he reached the door._

"_You're gonna regret this, Em. If you take my son away, I will find you and I will make sure you never see him again. I'll be the one holding the gun next time, fucken bitch." With that, he turned and quickly stormed out of the apartment._

_Emma released the breath she had been holding. She quickly closed her door, locking her remaining good lock and pushed her small bookshelf in front of it for good measure. She sunk to the ground, with her back against the shelf and cried, finally letting all her emotions loose._

"Oh, Emma." Regina embraced her in a tight hug before pulling back and cupping her cheeks with her hands. "You are safe now. You are safe here with me... and even if he did find you again, I will never let him hurt you or Henry. He will learn quickly, that I am the wrong woman to threaten. And he threatened me the day he hurt you..." As she spoke, she looked directly into beautiful green eyes and Emma could see every emotion within hers.

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><p><strong>AN I am so sorry to those who are Baelfire fans! I never cared for him too much. Don't care much for Hook either... or Robin, however, it pleases me to see someone loving Regina romantically.**


	23. Meant to be

"Emma, I know you're in there! As Maid of Honor, I demand you get out here right now!" Snow banged on the dressing room door.

"I swear to god, Swan... if you leave me like this... you will not touch me again for a week" Regina panted. Emma currently had her pinned against the wall, three fingers deep.

"God, I fucking love you" Emma declared with a passionate kiss. She pulled away and took a quick glance around the room. "Guess I'll have to do this the fast way." Regina moaned in reply, knowing exactly what the blonde had in mind.

Emma reached and grabbed the small pillow off the chair next to them and placed it on the floor. She didn't want to ruin her dress.

"I'll be out in a minute, Snow!" she yelled to the current frustrated brunette on the other side of the door.

She gently dropped to her knees on the pillow. Regina hiked up her dress a bit to allow Emma to lift her left leg over her shoulder. Regina's head flew back and hit the wall when she felt Emma's mouth on her. She knew that this, combined with Emma's magic fingers, would have her peaking in no time. She was so right.

"I know what you two are doing in there! You're like... teenagers in heat! You have five minutes to get out here and help me find the rings, Emma Swan!" Snow yelled with a mix of annoyance and urgency.

"Shit!" Emma barely had time to bring her love down from her high, before she was jumping up. Surprisingly, Regina reached the door before she did, looking regal as ever. How the hell does she do that?

"You lost the rings?" Regina had one of her best Evil Queen glares focused on Snow. "Do you know how much work it took to plan this wedding in one month and you lost the fucking rings!" Snow visibly winced at the sight of the Mayor's fury. She had originally planned to keep this not-so-small issue from the other brunette, but when she heard the soft moan coming from the room, she knew she needed to say something.

"Baby, it's okay." Emma placed a hand on the small of the furious woman's back. "You go check on Red and the other girls. Mary Margaret and I will find the rings. I promise" she reassured. Regina's glare never left Snow.

"You better find them." She hissed and walked away.

It had been 6 months since that pivotal moment in Emma and Regina's relationship. So many things had taken place since then and they had come so far together. They had moments of intense arguing, but neither women could see themselves fighting and making up with (wink wink) anyone else.

After that afternoon they had spent together, Emma had readily agreed to have Henry see Dr. Hopper for a few sessions to make sure he was dealing with everything. She didn't know what she would do if he had been traumatized in anyway. It took another month for Regina to find the nerve to talk to her girlfriend about seeing him as well.

Emma knew Regina was concerned and just wanted to take care of her, but she was still hesitant about going to the therapist. After a couple weeks of consideration she agreed, under the condition that Regina accompanied her to the sessions. If she was going to relive those moments, she wanted to have her rock right there with her. Regina agreed to the terms with no hesitation.

It turned out to be a couple's therapy of sorts. Not that they needed work as a couple, but they were able to learn so many things about each other. Understandably, Emma wasn't completely ready to open up to the doctor. Dr. Hopper came up with the idea of the two women asking each other questions, starting with simple and superficial ones, then leading into deeper more complex conversations. It wasn't exactly professional, but Archie even regaled them with a few of his own tales to help Emma feel more comfortable at their sessions.

After 4 months of sessions that were spent laughing and crying, the three had decided to move to a more unofficial setting. Both women had developed a respected friendship with the doctor. They enjoyed their new friendship and had regular lunch dates every Friday at Granny's. They relaxed and talked about the weeks, plans for the weekends, Henry and whatever else suited them. Archie was confident that Emma and Regina had a wonderful bond and the two ladies knew that his door was always open if they ever needed to return to a private setting.

Over the past 6 months, Henry had his cast removed and had his 6th birthday party. He started Kindergarten late, due to everything that went on with the new move and his accident, but that didn't stop him from making a ton of friends. Regina did exactly what Emma knew she would do. She spoiled him rotten on his special day. She used the high school gym and rented three different bouncy houses. She invited both Kindergarten classes and paid Granny and Ruby to cater the party. Man, it was good to be the Mayor's kid.

In that time, Emma had also been promoted Sheriff. Graham had decided to apply for a job as a Ranger for the new office right outside of Storybrooke. Regina gave him her blessing, along with a letter of recommendation, knowing that he would be perfect for the job. With her appraisal, he was easily given the position of Park Manager with 5 Rangers working under him. Ruby couldn't have been more proud of him. They had started seeing each other shortly after her talk with Emma. Red had decided to stop being subtle and just asked the man out.

So here they were, watching a six year old Henry walked down the aisle bearing two rings for the Huntsman and his wolf. The two had bonded instantly and were a serious couple within a matter of weeks. It was like this town was a breeding ground for true love. After Graham had gotten word of his new job, he celebrated by asking Red to marry him in front of a packed diner. They decided they wanted to be married before he started his new post. So they went to the only woman that they knew could make it happen. Regina did not disappoint.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Henry was the ring bearer and Ava was the flower girl. Snow was the Maid of Honor, with Emma and Belle as bridesmaids. After Ruby's shock and jealousy of finding out about Regina and Graham, the five ladies had become quite close. It was hard with Katherine away most of the time, being an amazing lawyer, and Regina appreciated the new friendships Emma had help her form. Theme for the wedding was red, gold and white. Graham originally wanted brown, which caused Regina's face to shift to a look of disgust. She convinced them that gold was a better option.

The reception was held outdoors at the new park that had been built where the orphanage used to be. Most of the parents had changed their children into casual clothes to allow them to play freely. This included Henry, who was happily swinging like a little monkey on the jungle gym.

"Where the hell is Ruby?" Emma sighed and rested her head in her hands, elbows on the table.

"Relax, dear. She went to change out of her dress and the ride here will give the newlyweds some time alone, before they are bombarded by guests." Regina replied.

"They're off having sex." Emma stated matter-of-factly.

"They would not sneak off for a quickie, when there is an entire reception waiting for them." Regina stated.

"We would." Emma shrugged. Regina simply smirked, knowing that Emma was absolutely correct.

"David and I did." Snow stated absentmindedly. It wasn't until she noticed Emma and Regina looking at her, that she realized she had said that out loud.

When the honored couple arrived, they went on with the celebration. Mary Margaret gave her speech, the bride and groom had their first dance, everyone ate and laughed and had a good time. Regina and Emma had spent a few songs swaying together on the dance floor. Each taking turns to keep an eye on Henry when they were facing the playground. Today had been an amazing day. Even though it wasn't all about them, it was amazing. They had just shared a gentle kiss and a smile, when Henry came up to hug Emma's leg.

"Hey bud. You having a good time?" She smiled down at her son. Henry didn't reply. He just squeezed Emma's leg tighter, burying his face deep into her leg as if hiding.

"Henry?" Regina could hear the concern in Emma's voice. She squatted down to his level to get a better look at the boy.

"Henry, honey? What's wrong?" Regina asked gently.

"Oh, God!" Emma whispered. Regina looked up at Emma, not quite sure if the blonde had spoken.

"Emma?" The concern grew inside of Regina once she had seen the brief look of horror on her girlfriend's face. "Emma, what is it?" Emma tried to calm herself before replying to the older woman.

"Um, can you take Henry to get some cake please?" Emma avoided the question.

"Emma, what is going on?" Regina knew there was something the blonde wasn't telling her.

"Just... Please take Henry. I'll be there in a minute." Emma said in a gentle yet firm tone. Regina stared into green eyes for a moment longer.

"Well, Henry. How about some cake?" She smiled at the boy, taking his hand and guiding him away from his mother.

Once Regina and her son were a good distance away, Emma returned her gaze to the object of her fear. There, leaning against a car in the parking lot, stood Neal. Emma was rooted in place, she didn't know what to do. How did he find her? How long had he been watching them from across the park? A million questions ran through her mind at once, but there was only one that she need to address at the moment. _What do I do?_ She thought to herself. She didn't want to cause a huge scene at her friend's wedding, so she decided to approach the man and try to get him to leave quietly. She made her way across the park and every bone in her body was laced with fear.

"You're looking as beautiful as always." Neal spoke once she was within hearing distance.

"What are you doing here?" Emma ignored the bullshit compliment.

"You know why I'm here" was his only reply.

"How?" Emma asked nervously. She had never told anyone about her time in Storybrooke.

"I told you I would." He stepped away from the car, toward Emma. In turn, she took a step back, trying to remain a good distance away from him. "But since you asked... I actually didn't even come here looking for you. You see my dad... the one I ran away from... He found me about a year ago. He's been writing and calling, asking me to come see him. I figured what the hell... Why not give the old man a chance." He took another step toward her. This time she was so into the story that she failed to move.

"So I'm sitting at the kitchen table, listening to him gripe about some bitch who took his place as Mayor..." The realization showed in Emma's eyes. Gold. "And he mentions her dyke girlfriend, Sheriff Swan. Of course I knew there was no way it could be you... Until I saw the yellow Bug parked at some diner..." He trailed off to let her process the tale.

"How crazy is that?" He finished. Emma was speechless. She was trying to figure out how fate could continue to be so cruel to her.

"Gold is your father?"

"Yep." He replied with a smirk.

The wheels in Emma's head were spinning at an insane speed and she felt light-headed just thinking about the current situation.

"Look, I don't wanna cause trouble. I honestly don't. You seem happy here with your mayor slut. I figure, while I'm here anyway, you can just give me my son and I'll be on my way" he said. Emma could feel the rage building in her. There was no way in _HELL_ that she was going to let him take Henry.

"You can't have him." Emma finally spoke. Her words were laced with anger.

"See... I don't remember giving you a choice" he sneered. Emma finally found some of her courage.

"I won't let you take him." She growled and raised her voice to a confident level. "If you think for one second that..." Her sentence was cut short when he lost his patience. Neal had suddenly lunged forward and grabbed a fist full of her hair. He yanked her head back, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I told you I didn't want to cause trouble..." he growled. "But you always have to be a bitch, instead of just giving me what I want!" He yelled, causing a few heads from the wedding reception to turn.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" she yelled. She was beginning to feel like she did that night. Memories of that even flashed through her mind as she struggled in his hold.

"Hey! Is there a problem here?" Graham was the first to react to the commotion, followed closely by David. Regina had heard the noise and saw the small crowd forming. After asking Belle to watch Henry, she made her way to the scene.

"Naw, no problem here." He gave a fake smile and roughly let Emma go, causing her to tumble into David's arms. "Just a friendly conversation with an old friend." He shrugged.

"Fuck you!" Emma snapped at him.

Regina had made it through the crowd and was confused as she took in the sight before her. Emma was being held by David, one of her hands rubbing the back of her head. Graham was standing slightly in front of them, in a very defensive stance. All three pairs of eyes were intently staring at the tall dark haired man near the car.

"What the hell is going on here?" Regina questioned in a very mayoral voice. Emma's eyes snapped from Neal to the brunette beauty. Instinctively, she moved over to Regina, standing between her and Neal. Regina saw the streak of tears and anger on her girlfriend's face, then returned her gaze to the newcomer.

"Neal." It wasn't a question. Regina put it all together quickly and could already feel her rage building as she glared at the man.

"My reputation precedes me." He winked at the Mayor. Regina growled at the gesture and pushed her way past Emma.

"I want you out of my town immediately." She spoke in a low threatening voice.

"I'm not leaving without my son." Regina chuckled wickedly at his response.

"If you think you are even going near him, you are sorely mistaken. You will _not_ lay a hand on Emma or Henry _ever_ again. If you so much as come near _my_ family, I will have your sorry ass thrown in jail faster than you can blink, and just when you _think_ things couldn't get worse, I will personally make sure that your life behind bars is a _living hell_." Neal scoffed at Regina's speech.

"Apparently Emma didn't tell you enough about me." He smirked evilly. Reaching behind his back and under his jacket, he nonchalantly pulled out his gun before speaking again. "So let's try this again. I'm. Not. Leaving. Without. My. Son." He pointed the gun directly at Regina's chest. There were a few gasps spread through the crowd that had gathered and sending Graham and David into attack mode, but the Mayor held her ground and didn't even flinch. She actually smirked.

"Are you going to shoot me, dear?" She asked calmly. "Because the only way you will get near my son, is over my dead body..." she challenged. She could see the flash of anger in his eyes when she referred to Henry as her son. "I don't even think you have it in you. You are a pathetic excuse for a man..." she trailed off with a glare that would make anyone think twice before fucking with her.

"Regina..." Emma whispered from behind. She had only heard of the things that Neal had been involved in. She had never seen him in action first hand and she didn't want to now. Especially considering whose life was on the line.

During the confrontation, only 2 people had noticed the change in Graham's position. He had slowly worked his way behind Neal and slightly to his left. When Graham had decided he was close enough to make a move he looked to David. David looked him in the eyes and gave him a barely noticeable nod. Once he had David's go-ahead, he looked to his wife Ruby. Ruby was scared, but she knew that the officer in her husband couldn't standby and do nothing. She gave him a small smile and a quick nod. Graham was ready to make his move.

"I don't know who the fuck you think..." Neal's comment was cut short when he was tackled from the side. Graham had seen his moment when the armed man was distracted and he dove straight in. Graham made quick and precise movements as he went in and rammed into Neal's waist, taking him down with full force. In the midst of it all the gun fired once...


	24. Bad Choices

It was dark and her whole body ached. She groaned slightly when she tried to open her eyes. She squinted at the bright lights and decided to just keep them closed for now. _What the hell happened?_ She thought to herself. She tried to recall the events that led to her being in this much pain.

"_Regina..." Emma whispered from behind. She had only heard of the things that Neal had been involved in. She had never seen him in action first hand and she didn't want to now. Especially considering whose life was on the line._

_During the confrontation, only 2 people had noticed the change in Graham's position. He had slowly worked his way behind Neal and slightly to his left. When Graham had decided he was close enough to make a move he looked to David. David looked him in the eyes and gave him a barely noticeable nod. Once he had David's go-ahead, he looked to his wife Ruby. Ruby was scared, but she knew that the officer in her husband couldn't standby and do nothing. She gave him a small smile and a quick nod. Graham was ready to make his move._

"_I don't know who the fuck you think..." Neal's comment was cut short when he was tackled from the side. Graham had seen his moment when the armed man was distracted and he dove straight in. Graham made quick and precise movements as he went in and rammed into Neal's waist, taking him down with full force. In the midst of it all the gun fired once..._

_Everything happened so fast. Graham rushed Neal, his shoulder connecting with the offender's side. Neal was caught completely off guard. The moment Graham had moved, Emma's instinct kicked in. She quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Regina and pulling her away from the scuffle. _

_Everything happened so fast. Regina felt arms wrap around her as she was yanked away from the men. She saw David rush to Graham's side from the corner of her eye. In that moment it felt like time had stopped. She heard the gun fire and felt pain shoot through her body as she fell to the ground. Maybe she was pushed, she really wasn't sure. There were screams and everyone started to move in all different directions._

_Emma felt the impact from falling on top of Regina. She had heard the gun fire and could only think of keeping the brunette safe. She heard screams and saw everyone's feet starting to shuffle around them. Belle had rushed over to the two of them and began to help them up._

"_Are you alright?" She asked them. It was almost simultaneously that Emma and Belle caught sight of the blood on Regina's arm and shoulder. Panic rose within the blonde._

"_Regina! Are you okay? Were you hurt?" The questions rushed out of her mouth as she began to frantically look over Regina._

"_No, no. I'm fine." Regina finally breathed out once the initial shock of it all wore off. "I don't know, maybe a scratch or something." She spoke as she examined herself, trying to locate the source of the blood._

"_It's definitely not a scratch." Emma spoke quietly. Regina looked up to her and saw Emma glancing down at her own shoulder._

"_Emma?" Regina questioned with nothing but worry in her voice. Emma looked up and got a brief glance into those chocolate eyes before she passed out._

_That asshole shot me. _She thought to herself before drifting back to sleep.

Regina entered the hospital lobby with a small hand latched firmly to hers. They made their way to the second floor and stopped at the nurse's station.

"Any changes?" Regina asked the nurse on duty.

"No, ma'am. Her monitors showed an increase in activity a few hours ago, but she was still asleep when I checked on her." The nurse replied with a soft smile. Regina took a deep breath and nodded. "It's a good sign, Madame Mayor. She will wake up real soon." She reassured them.

"Thank you, Samantha" Regina replied before turning and heading to Emma's room with Henry.

As soon as they entered the room, Henry let go of her hand and ran over to his mother. He grabbed her hand instead and stood there quietly, as Regina made her way to the bed. She leaned down and kissed her girlfriend's forehead. It had only been 2 days since the shooting and she couldn't help but be concerned that Emma hadn't woken up yet. The doctor said that he needed to repair a little tissue damage, but other than that the wound was through and through. Emma was going to be fine. Regina felt some relief in knowing that, but she wouldn't feel fully relieved until Emma was home with them.

"I love you. Wake up soon, okay?" She whispered before taking a seat next to the bed. She watched Henry stare at his mother, sadness etched across his face. She knew this had been hard for him. The first night in the hospital he had refused to leave her bedside. Regina didn't mind, because she didn't want to leave Emma either.

"I love you, mommy. I hope you wake up soon, because I miss you. Gina took me to the park yesterday. I got to play with Grace and she gave me half of her Popsicle. Last night we shared our favorite books. Gina helped me read Pete the Cat and then she read me Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She's better at being the Evil Queen than you are." Regina smiled at that. Henry loved to tell his sleeping mother about everything. "But you do the best dwarfs." Henry paused for a moment. "I wish dad never came here. It's all my fault. I'm sorry you got hurt because of me." Regina had been playing with her finger in her lap, but her head popped up immediately upon hearing Henry.

"Henry..." she called to the boy. "Oh, sweetheart. Come here." Henry walked over to her looking troubled and hopped into her lap. "Nothing about what your father did, was your fault. You mother got hurt, because she loves you and refuses to let anything bad happen to you. She loves you so very much and she was protecting you before you were even born." She paused and ran her fingers through his hair. "Unfortunately, we cannot control everything, and we certainly cannot control the actions of others. Emma tried to get him to leave quietly, but he made his own choice." She squeezed the boy in her arms lightly. "It was not your fault, sweetheart." She finished with a kiss to his forehead.

"I hate him." Henry replied quietly.

"Mmm. Hate is a really strong word. He is still your father, no matter what he has done. You should not hate him, but it is perfectly fine to hate the decisions he has made." Regina knew all too well what it was like to stand on the line between love and hate when it came to being a parent. She knew deep down that she loved her mother, but she hated the way she was treated. Like she was some prized animal being groomed for the highest bidder.

"Look at me, Henry. The most important thing is that your mother and I love you very much. We will always do whatever we can to keep you safe. Never forget that, okay?" She could see the subtle change in his mood.

"Okay. I love you too, Mommy." He spoke as he reached around her neck to hug her. Off instinct Regina looked at the blonde, before realizing the he was referring to herself. Sure Henry had used the term Mommies plenty of times, but he always called her Gina. It was a strange but amazing feeling.

"Mommy?" she asked the boy cautiously. Henry smiled at her and nodded.

"You love us both and you take care of me, like mommy does. It only makes sense that I call you mommy too. Well it may get a bit confusing..." He trailed off in thought. Regina chuckled.

"You can call me whatever you wish and I would be honored to call you my son." She returned his loving smile. "Okay, how about we read your mother a story. We can show her how well you have been doing with your reading." She reached into her bag and pulled out a few books.

"Okay!" Henry replied excitedly.

"Which one would you like to read?" she asked him.

"Hmmm. Mommy would love this one." He pointed to the SpongeBob book. Regina rolled her eyes playfully and gave an exasperated sigh. Henry giggled at her antics.

They read aloud 4 books. It amazed her how much her son loved to read. Her son. She let the words play through her head over and over again. She had always seen him as a son, but for some reason it felt more official to her. Hopefully they could make the family even more official soon. She knew that she never wanted to be without Emma and Henry. Two days ago when she had almost lost her love, she realized just how much she cared for the two of them. She would face Neal over again anytime, if it meant protecting the boy now sleeping in her arms. She realized that there was something she needed to do. She got up from her chair gently and laid Henry down in the bed with Emma. She lifted up the side rails to make sure he couldn't fall off while sleeping. She made a quick call asking Belle to come keep an eye on the two of them while she ran a quick errand.


	25. A Happy Ending

When Regina had returned to the hospital, Henry was awake and watching cartoons with Belle. She walked over to the empty seat and sat down with the bag of food she had picked up from Granny's. Belle looked up and gave her a gentle smile.

"Hi. Mommy." Henry greeted her with a smile of his own.

"Hello, sweetheart. I brought you some dinner. Are you hungry?" She asked the boy. She began pulling out the containers after receiving a yes from the child. She handed one to Belle, who then opened the container and sat it in her lap to share with Henry. It was kind of a habit that the young brunette and the boy had developed. Whenever Belle wasn't that hungry, she would share a plate with Henry, knowing that the plate was almost always too big for him to finish.

Once they had finished the meal, Belle and Regina taught Henry how to play Go Fish. Then Henry shocked both women when he asked to play a game of Rummy. Regina silently shook her head, mentally reminding herself to ask Emma about this later, but still agreed to play a couple of hands. She had Henry teach them the rules, so that she could see how much he knew about the game. His rules were quite basic and as the hands played out, she began to see the benefit in teaching him this game. It was a great way for him to practice his numbers, shapes, and patterns. He could even keep score, although every card was given the same point value. She was still surprised and proud of what he could do.

Belle left when it was about time for Henry to go to sleep. Regina decided that they would stay the night with Emma. After one more cartoon, the 6 year old began to yawn. Regina helped him into the bed, next to his mother and read him a story. He was fast asleep by the end. Regina stood there for what seemed like forever, just watching her two loves sleep. She couldn't believe how much had happened between the three of them in so little time.

She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through blonde hair, a single tear fell down her cheek. She didn't even know why she was crying. She was so happy to have found Emma again and to have them in her life. At the same time, waiting to see those green eyes again was killing her. She shook herself out of her thoughts and wiped away her tear. She walked over to her purse and took out the small box she had retrieved earlier that day. With another deep breath, she walked back over to Emma and opened the box. After pulling out the object inside, she gently slid it onto a soft pale finger. Not letting go of the soft hand, she bent down and kissed Emma softly on her forehead.

"For better or for worse. I love you." She sealed it with a gentle kiss to soft lips, before moving back over to the recliner on the right side of the bed. She curled up in the blanket she had brought in and fell asleep.

It was about two o'clock in the morning when Emma woke up. She stretched her body the best she could, noting that the soreness was still present, but had eased a bit. She went to run her fingers through her hair, when she noticed the small body snuggled up to her. She smiled at the sight of her son fast asleep. Her little angel sleeping peacefully. She looked up when she heard the nurse enter the room.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Samantha asked.

"Like I've been shot." Emma teased with a small smile. "A little sore and thirsty." She answered more seriously.

"Let me check your stats real quick, then I'll bring you some water." the nurse replied and went about checking the monitors.

"Thank you." Emma went back to watching her son. The nurse moved about a bit more. As she finished, she noticed the loving look in Emma's eyes as she watched Henry.

"Would you like me to wake them?" the nurse asked.

"Them?" Emma questioned as she looked beyond the sleeping child and noticed the beautiful brunette in the recliner. She smiled at the sight. She had been so wrapped up in Henry that she had failed to notice the love of her life sleeping beside her bed.

"No. Let them rest. But, can you lift him for a moment? I want to put my arm around him." She requested.

"Of course." Samantha smiled and moved to help her hold her son. "How is your arm?" the nurse asked quietly.

"It hurts, but it isn't unbearable." Emma replied.

"Hmm. And can you move your fingers for me?" the nurse asked. "Good." she praised as Emma flexed her fingers.

The moment Emma looked down to her fingers to watch them flex, was the same exact moment she saw the twinkle of light. She gasped and her breath caught, when she flexed her fingers upward and saw the ring on her finger. It was a simple, yet beautiful, Asscher cut diamond with a solid white gold band. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"It's beautiful. I guess congratulations are in order?" Samantha partially asked and partially stated. Emma scoffed in disbelief.

"I guess so. Thank you." Emma smiled, still gazing at the ring.

"I'll be back with your water." the nurse spoke as she made her way to the door.

Emma gave the nurse a gentle smile, closing her eyes and getting lost in her thoughts. She couldn't believe this. Regina proposed to her while she was sleeping. How long had she been asleep? A wave of panic washed over her, but was almost instantly pushed aside when she glanced, once again, at her two sleeping loves. No matter how much time had passed, Regina had stayed by her and wanted to stay by her forever. She figured not much time could have passed anyway, if the pain in her shoulder was any indication.

She was getting married. She couldn't believe Regina had beaten her to it. Emma had always thought she would be the one to propose. She had actually planned to propose. After a sip of water and about an hour of contemplation, she came to the conclusion that she could still propose. She stretched her right arm, reaching over to run her fingers through dark locks. She then moved to the brunette's cheek, smiling when her fiancé leaned into the touch.

"Regina." she spoke softly, so as not to wake Henry. Regina moaned quietly in her sleep and scrunched her nose adorably. "Regina." Emma tried again. This time, eyelids opened slowly to reveal brown eyes.

"Hey." Regina said sleepily with a soft smile.

"Hey yourself." Emma returned the smile. Suddenly it was like Regina was hit with a bucket of cold water. She gasped, taking in a deep breath.

"Emma!" She breathed out. "You're awake!" Regina was out of her chair and beside the bed in an instant. She leaned over kissing the blonde's forehead, cheeks, nose, lips and then stopping to rest her head against hers.

"Do not... Ever... Do that to me again..." Regina pleaded in a near whisper. "Don't ever leave me again."

"I don't plan on it." Emma leaned up to capture Regina's lips with her own. She wanted so badly, to feel the older woman, but with the pain in her left arm and Henry on her right, this would have to do for now.

Regina savored the kiss, enjoying the fact that it was being returned. Emma was awake, she was okay. She didn't want to break away.

"How are you feeling?" she whispered, still leaning closely over her.

"I'm okay." Emma replied.

"Do you need anything?" Regina couldn't help the nurturing side that was coming out of her. Emma shook her head gently.

"Just you." She answered. Regina smiled and kissed her once more. She pulled away once more and stared deeply into those green eyes she had missed so much.

"Welcome back." Regina whispered.

"Mmmm. How long was I out?" Emma asked, enjoying the sound of Regina's voice.

"Two days." she answered, noting the look of surprise and worry on the blonde's face. "Don't worry. After Graham booked Neal, he discovered several warrants out for his arrest. He was picked up by the Brooklyn Police Department yesterday. Unfortunately, "daddy" went running after him, so who knows how that will turn out. Gold has ways of getting what he wants." She ran her fingers through blonde curls. "But he is gone for now. That's what is important." She paused, happy to see some relief in Emma's features. Emma opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped.

"Graham offered to stay an extra week to train David as a deputy. David will be acting Sheriff until you are able to resume your duties. He has expressed his desire to stay on as deputy when you return." She smiled. It was like she could read Emma's mind, answering every question before the blonde could even inquire. Emma glanced briefly at Henry, before looking back to her fiancé.

"He is okay. I took him to see Archie yesterday. We went together and talked about what happened. He handled it all very well. He really is an amazing boy." Regina thought it best to save her talk with Henry for a later conversation.

"Seems like you've got it all under control." Emma smiled. "What would I do without you?" she asked.

"You will never have to find out." She returned the smile.

There was a short and comfortable silence. Regina had chanced a glance at the ring on Emma's finger, when she thought her girlfriend wasn't looking. She figured perhaps Emma hadn't noticed the ring yet. She did just wake up, after all. Emma noticed the ring, just like she noticed Regina glance at it quickly, before looking away.

"There is one other thing." Emma broke the silence.

"And what is that?" Regina's nerves were a wreck.

"My handbag?" Emma asked, noticing the slight disappointment and confusion on the brunette's face.

"Uh, yea. I kept it with your things behind the chair." She replied.

"Can you get it for me, please?" Emma asked. Regina nodded and moved over to the chair. She reached down to retrieve the handbag and brought it back to the bed, still very much confused.

"Thank you... Can you look in the middle section for me? I would do it myself but my hands are a bit occupied." Emma smiled awkwardly.

"Okay... And what am I looking for, exactly?" Regina asked, wondering what all this was leading up to.

"You'll know when you find it" was Emma's vague response.

Regina nodded once and proceeded to look through the hand bag. Sure enough, Emma was right. Regina's hand stopped dead in its tracks when it came into contact with the small black velvet box. She looked up at Emma, who only gave her a small smile. Her emotions were all over the place when she pulled the little box out of the bag. She didn't have to open it to know what it was. Somehow she just knew, but she had to see it for herself. She slowly opened the box to reveal a beautiful round cut diamond, set in white gold, with smaller diamonds trailing along the band. She was speechless. All she could do was look up into green eyes.

"You beat me to it." was all Emma said, as she wiggled the fingers of her left hand. Regina looked at the ring on Emma's finger, finally getting confirmation that the blonde had noticed the ring. She looked back up to see Emma smiling softly at her.

"Yes" was all Emma said and it brought the brightest smile to Regina's face. She took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her left hand, taking a brief moment to admire it. Then she looked to Emma again.

"Yes" was all she said, giving Emma an answer to her question as well. She leaned in and kissed her fiancé deeply...

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Yes. This is the end and I hope you don't hate me! It was so much fun writing and sharing this story with all of you! There will be an epilogue and I have considered doing a bonus collection of one shots that will fill in some gaps to this story. So if there are any questions you have unanswered, just leave it in your review or shoot me a message! If I get enough requests then I will definitely do it. I have another Swan Queen Fic that I have started and will post soon, so if you enjoyed my story, then stay tuned. I have sooo many ideas! Anywho! Thank you soo much for all the follows and favs! You all have really made me feel welcome and I love this fandom to death! HUGS!


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